Teaching

I have developed my teaching skills and philosophy over almost 20 years in academia including mentoring peers, teaching field courses, and supporting undergraduate research assistants. I have practiced teaching in formal and informal settings, which has strengthened my ability to communicate clearly and connect to a diverse array of people. My goal as an educator is to aid students in developing the skills needed to question the world around them, collect and analyse data, and synthesise their findings with knowledge gained across their courses.

I want students to come away from my classes with a passion for the scientific process, curiosity about the world they live in, and an eagerness to learn more.

I have co-taught BIOL4645 Biology and Conservation of Marine Mammals at the University of New Brunswick Saint John in Winter 2025 and 2026. This is a comprehensive upper-level biology course which looks at the life histories, behaviour, reproduction, and population dynamics of all marine mammals with a focus on pinnipeds and cetaceans. This course combines lectures with a semester-long stepping-stone research and writing project incorproating literature review, data analysis, peer review, and final academic paper style report.

I was a teaching instructor on a field course in Ecology and Evolution for Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) masters students from 2018-2020. For which I developed and delivered lectures, guided small discussion groups, supervised student work, and lead logistical management for remote fieldwork.

I have also demonstrated on entry level undergraduate lab courses at QMUL inclduing BIO111 Cell Biology and BMD2019 Techniques in Biomedical Sciences. In these, I helped students develop basic laboratory techniques (e.g. pipetting, microscope use, scientific drawing) and provided constructive feedback on lab skills and assignments.

I have taken the Center for the Integration of Research Teaching and Learning’s Advancing Learning Through Evidence-Based Teaching course as well as multiple Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning courses including Fundamentals of Equitable Teaching, Gender in the Classroom, and Leading an Effective Discussion.

My desire is to teach the next generation of scientists to be confident, excited, and curious!