I have taught a variety of modules at the School of Physics and Astronomy. In 2025 I was awarded one of the four Teaching Excellence Awards at the University of St Andrews.
As part of my teaching, I have developed a series of cloud-based Jupyter Python notebooks that introduce real data into the classroom. I use the SciServer platform, which enables the creation of hands-on labs based on SDSS data. I also work hard to change the narrative that the physical sciences exist outside of the context we live in, and have introduced a “Cosmology in Society” curriculum in my cosmology class, that I continue to work on.
If you’re a student looks for teaching resources for a module you’re taking, you should look on the module’s Moodle pages. If you’re a student looking for research experience in developing educational tools using SciServer, or interested in helping develop the “Cosmology in Society” curriculum, please get in touch.
Current modules
AS1001 – Astronomy and Astrophysics 1 (lecturer) First year introductory course to Astronomy. I teach the section on galaxies and cosmology
AS5004 – Cosmology (lecturer + module coordinator) Fifth year course on Cosmology. I run the full course.
AS4010 – Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology (lecturer) Junior Honours (3rd year) module. I teach the section on Cosmology and run the computational project.
AS2001 – Astronomy and Astrophysics 2 (lecturer) Second year course in Astronomy. I teach the section on Observational Techniques.
Past modules
AS1101 – Astronomy (Direct Entry). Condensed first year introductory course in Astronomy for direct entry students.
AS5003 – Contemporary Astrophysics. 5th year MPhys level module on astrophysics, with a focus on current research.
PH3040 – Transferrable skills for Physicists (tutor) Junior Honours (3rd year) level module on transferrable skills – writing skills, presentation skills, critical thinking, group work.
AS4015 + AS5523 – Gravitational and Accretion Physics (lecturer) – 4th and MSc modules on gravitational dynamics.
PH2012 – Physics 2B (tutor). 2nd year Physics module on Quantum Physics, Electricity and Magnetism and Classical Waves.