Biography

I initially arrived at Keele as an undergrad in 2005, enrolled on the (now defunct) single honours Earth System Science degree. Within two years I transferred to the integrated Masters course; MGeoscience. I graduated in 2009. Later that year I was appointed to a dual role at Keele: a Teaching Fellow in Geology and PhD student. My PhD focused on a population of carbonate mounds (from the Cantabrian Mountains, Spain) investigating their palaeoecology, sedimentation, geochemistry and ultimately, formation. I completed my PhD in 2014 and graduated the following year.

I have since gained an MA in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, with my thesis focusing on staff and students perceptions of Lecture Recordings. I have become increasingly involved in education, scholarly and pedagogic pursuits; I am particularly interested in curriculum design and development, Education for Sustainability and immersive learning. I led on the creation and launch of our school wide undergraduate research programme (the GGE-UROP) and an online, peer reviewed journal, which focusses on the publication of work and scholarly training of undergraduate and postgraduate students (The Student Journal of Natural Sciences), of which I am still Chief Editor. Current projects are focused on the use of accessible digital teaching resources, making use of our campus as a teaching environment, and decolonising the curriculum.

I teach on multiple undergraduate modules at all levels, generally teaching sedimentology and structural geology, and supervise postgraduate masters projects. I currently hold the role of Director of Education for the school of Geography, Geology and the Environment. Heading up a recent portfolio review of the schools programmes. I am the Student Voice Champion for the school and I am always looking to get students more involved with curriculum design and development in the school! I have previously held the role of deputy Equality and Diversity Champion (incl. Athena Swan) for the GGE and organised the Geography, Geology and Environment Seminar Series.

I am an Associate Editor for Geoscience Communications. I am a Senior Fellow of The Higher Education Academy and Associate Member of the Association of Learning Technology. I am also a member of the Geography, Geology and Environment Education Cluster and an affiliate to the Basin Dynamics Research Group (BDRG) here at Keele.

Teaching

I teach on sedimentology and structural geology modules across the curriculum, supervise masters level students and teach on a range of field courses.

Publications

PGR/PGT Students

Omar Coggins, 2019. The relationship between wrench faulting and associated lense-like structures: an investigation into the Church Stretton Fault System

Rowshi Hussain, 2019. Ovummuridae from Wenlock Edge

Jennifer Russell, 2019. A geological and structural reconstruction of the Wrekin, Shropshire.

Kate Hayes, 2019. Immersive Imagery In Geoscience

School of Geography, Geology and the Environment
William Smith Building
Keele University
Staffordshire
ST5 5BG