Background and current responsibilities 

I have worked in Higher Education for over 25 years. My experience is varied and diverse; from working in dental healthcare, through app and web development and more recently in additive manufacturing. All of these have contributed to my skillset and mindset. Working to high precision and to patient deadlines made me produce quality at pace. Working with different student populations has allowed me to appreciate the student experience from different perspectives.

I wrote and lead the MSc Digital Design and Manufacturing programme which is based at PrintCity, the MMU digital manufacturing hub. This has been running since 2018 and was written in response to the Made Smarter Review that was published in October 2017. I have a growing interest in VR with a particular focus on using Gravity Sketch and Unity. I am very proud of my alumni students from this course who have gone on to great things. For example, we have three former students working in additive manufacturing at Aramco Aston Martin F1. Others are managing 3D print facilities at UK universities and so far, three students who have continued to PhD’s.

Outreach

I am actively involved with widening participation and outreach. I work with our Student Ambassadors to deliver day-long experiences of university life for children from local schools and academies. They learn to make things in CAD and then 3D print them to take away. I enjoy seeing their fascination when they realise they can make anything with a 3D printer.

Presentations

I am proud to have been able to present a talk at the 2022 Autodesk University event in New Orleans (September).

EDU502066 | Obliterating the Labor Cliff with Digital Natives

My interests are in the realm of digital innovation and the technology and services that are driving the fourth industrial revolution. I work to build in factors that promote soft skills within my teaching, to promote employability, teamwork and collaboration. I design assessments that allow students to apply their own interests and career aspirations whilst retaining the ‘freedom to fail’ - meaning to allow an iterative and reflective approach. I encourage a ‘do to learn’ approach and try to build an open and productive culture and learning environment. 

I keep abreast of the topic area and update the course to reflect current industry practice and to make sure my students are industry-ready.