Dr Samantha Pugh
- Position: Associate Professor in STEM Education
- Areas of expertise: physical sciences education; employer engagement; STEM Education; physics education; employability; synoptic assessment in HE; transitions in HE.
- Email: S.L.Pugh@leeds.ac.uk
- Phone: +44(0)113 343 2985
- Location: 1.68 Chemistry Building
- Website: Twitter | LinkedIn | Researchgate
Profile
Dr. Samantha Pugh is a National Teaching Fellow and the Faculty Lead for Teaching Enhancement. She has an outstanding track record for developing context-based learning and working in partnership with students in the Physical Sciences. She is also recognised for inspiring and mentoring colleagues to shape teaching through pedagogic research and scholarship at Leeds and beyond. Her contribution to the sector was recognised with the award of University Student Education Fellowships in 2012 and 2014.
She has secured over £500k in teaching development grants from the National HE STEM Programme (HE STEM), Higher Education Academy (HEA), the Institute of Physics (IoP), the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the Universities of York and Leeds, to lead educational enhancement.
Samantha’s teaching philosophy focuses on student personal and professional development. It emphasises the skills and attributes needed for a successful career and students’ ability to articulate those attributes. To this end, she has pioneered the use of reflective writing in Physical Sciences at Leeds. Samantha is sector-leading in embedding enterprise and entrepreneurship within the Maths and Physical Sciences curriculum gaining widespread recognition when she was a finalist for the NCEE Enterprise Educator in HE in 2014.
In 2015, Samantha co-established the Pedagogic Research in Science and Mathematics Group (PRiSM). The group consists of academics from across STEM that champion evidence-based curriculum development, pioneer undergraduate research in STEM Education, support undergraduate education research summer internships and organise practitioners’ seminars. Additionally, Samantha has created golden opportunities for students and less experienced colleagues to engage with externally-funded teaching development projects.
Samantha completed a ‘Leeds Excellence and Innovation Fellowship’ sabbatical at the Leeds Institute for Teaching Excellence in 2017/18. Her institutional project isl ‘Reimagining Assessment in Higher Education by learning from Secondary Education.’ Samantha believes that a programme-level understanding of assessment is the key to enhancing the career prospects of university graduates.
Responsibilities
- Director of Student Education
- Leader - PRiSM Group
- Programme Manager MSc Physics and Business Management
Research interests
My research interests are in pedagogic and educational research in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. Some current projects include how students navigate their employability in Physics, developing synoptic assessment in undergraduate degree programmes, developing group work in undergraduate curricula, evaluating the impact of outreach activities, and the benefits and impact of employer engagement on the undergraduate curriculum.
I have a keen interest in developing commercially-focused, technology-based projects and case studies, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
I am a strong believer in developing commercial awareness within STEM degree programmes at all levels. I have also championed the development of Peer Assisted Learning at the University of Leeds, and beyond.
I have a keen interest in careers education at all levels, with a focus on embedding careers education into the curriculum.
<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>Qualifications
- BSc Colour and Polymer Chemistry
- PhD Colour Chemistry
- PG Cert in Teaching and Learning in HE
Professional memberships
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry
- Member of the Association of National Teaching Fellows
Student education
- Director of Student Education (Physics and Astronomy)
- Module Manager: Physics Year in Industry
- Module Manager: Physics Group Industrial Project
- Module contributor: Chemistry: Idea to Market; Chemistry: Making an Impact, and Maths at Work.
Research groups and institutes
- Physics Education