Instructors

Dr. Andrea Jiménez Dalmaroni

Dr. Andrea Jiménez Dalmaroni is a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University and an Honorary Associate Professor at University College London. After an extensive career in biophysics, her main interests are focused on the field of science education research. She designs and investigates alternative forms of assessments and novel teaching techniques to promote critical thinking, self-directed learning, and to facilitate students a smooth transition to conduct their own projects. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has been a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University (2016), Stanford University (2017), and a Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2018 and 2019). Andrea has been leading STEM education initiatives at UK-scale since 2017, such as the IOP/Royal Society Physics Education for the 21st Century Conference series and the Active Futures in STEM Education workshop, supporting cohorts of staff in applying evidence-based education innovation with confidence. Her work earned her a 2021 UCL Provost Education Award in the category Education Success for All and the Cardiff University Excellence Award in Teaching and Scholarship 2021.

Prof. Italo Testa

Italo Testa is associate professor in Physics Education at the Department of Physics of the Federico II University of Naples. His research interests concern the development of inquiry-based didactic paths in astronomy and the study of students' motivation, metacognition and attitudes towards physics. He teaches at the University of Naples the course of Quantitative Methods for Physics Education since 2020. Currently, he is the director of the course for Math and Physics, Physics and Laboratory of Physics courses for the University of Naples center for teachers professional development. He is Chair for Strand 3 -Science teaching processes and instructional design – for the European Science Education Research Association and member of the Editorial Board of Physical Review Physics Education Research and Astronomy Education Journal

Prof. Ben Zwicki

Ben Zwickl is an Associate Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy, co-director of the Center for Advancing Scholarship on Teaching and Learning, and a member of the Physics Education Research Group at Rochester Institute of Technology. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Center for Computing in Science Education at the University of Oslo. He received a PhD in physics doing experiments related to quantum optomechanical sensors, which was followed by a postdoc in physics education research at the University of Colorado Boulder. Since that time, Ben has pursued research on the nature of physics expertise, how expertise is developed, and the relationship between formal education and professional success. This has included research on graduate education, career preparation for optics and quantum jobs, and laboratory education. Ben regularly teaches courses that integrate computation, laboratory work, and projects.