STEM Faculty

Research interests

My main research theme has been new and emerging bio-analytical and bio-diagnostic techniques (particularly chemical sensors and biosensors and their exploitation at the point-of care in medical and veterinary diagnostics), collaborating with research groups in UK (Bristol, Cranfield and Cambridge University) and Europe (Univesita de Roma-Tor Vergata and Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona).

At the Open University, I led a project funded by the World Cancer Research Fund International developing new methods for the non-invasive measurements of urinary biomarkers of DNA that are related to diet and the risk of colorectal cancer.

More recently, I have become more involved in Educational Research, co-leading eSTEeM projects looking at the impact of live streaming events in undergraduate students' engagement and motivation, and aiming at gaining a better understanding of procastination in an on-line learning environment. From the passive withdrawals project, we identified that some students receive significant number of diverse communications and have started investigations whether these play a role in student engagement.

In 2019, I joined the OpenSTEM Africa team, and have been heavily involved in the developement and evaluation of on-screen Apps teaching practical Chemistry and associated examper lessons (part of a new virtual laboratory) for high school students in Ghana. We continue exploring the potential for onlyne and virtual STEM education at university level involving science educators and students in Ghana.

Teaching interests

I was involved in producion and presentation of work-based learning modules working with employers and regulators in the UK to identify needs and skill gaps:

• Author on the work-based learning module S110 Health Sciences in practice
• Module Team Chair (presentation) and Author on the work-based learning module S130 Analytical Sciences in practice
• Module Team Chair (production and presentation) and Author on the work-based learning module S230 Developing your Analytical Sciences in practice

Over the years, I have been authoring and/or chairing a number of science modules at stage 1 and 2, contributing to several qualifications:

• Topic Team Chair and Author on the module S288 Practical Science - Water Quality Monitoring
• Author on the module S215 Chemistry: essential concepts (also involved in the re-write of the new S218 Concepts in Chemistry)
• Author on the module S206 Environmental Science
• Module Team Co-Chair (J-presentation) and Author on the module S111 Questions in Science
• Module team chair (presentation) on SXM150 Contemporary Topics in Science
• Author on the module S218 Concepts in Chemistry.

Additionally I was Qualification Lead for Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Sciences at the Open Univeristy (2016-2021)