“I have always loved discovering the best ways to impart knowledge to students on an individual basis. I was provided with the opportunity to design and give lectures to first year engineers, hold small group tutorials, one-on-one mentoring, marking assignments and transcripts, provide training to students for professional skills, such as presentations, as well as being a principle assessor of the students on their acquired skills. I am currently working with lecturers to design a framework for assessing teaching, ensuring that all students are exposed to a high and consistent level of teaching across all modules and from all who provide support in learning; whether that would be PGTAs, lecturers or Professors.””I have always loved discovering the best ways to impart knowledge to students” says Mauryn Chika Nweke, known as Chika, a final year Ph.D. student in the department of Biochemical Engineering here at UCL. WISE inspires girls and women to study and build careers using science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Biochemical engineers are key players in the greatest challenges – but also breakthroughs – that lie ahead including the preparation of vaccines for the treatment of diseases as diverse as HIV, AIDS, Ebola and cancer as well as the construction of tissue engineered replacement body parts. Chika’s research is fascinating, translating exciting discoveries in life sciences into practical materials and processes contributing to human health and well-being. She is currently working in collaboration with Eli Lilly & Co. to understand and improve in-process monitoring for pharmaceutical drug purification.
Chika has always been actively involved in teaching and outreach programmes throughout her life, from mentoring Year 12 high achieving pupils aiming to study at university to organizing the London School and Black Child event at the House of Commons celebrating the outstanding academic achievements of Black and Ethnic minority students in the UK.
In 2015, Chika was awarded an Associate Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy (HEA) for her outstanding contribution to teaching and supporting learning in Higher Education as a Senior Post-Graduate Teaching Assistant (sPGTA) for the Integrated Engineering Programme (IEP) at UCL. She is currently also nominated for the Outstanding Support for Teaching Award as voted by the students she has taught at UCL. About her pursuit in enhancing teaching quality,
