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Our team for the Engineering Foundation Year is friendly, approachable and experienced at helping students succeed.
Teaching and learning team
James Ford | Programme Director
James joined the team in 2024, having previously spent 10 years in UCL's Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE) department. Before UCL, he worked as a practising engineer in industry where he was involved in recruiting and training graduates; he quickly developed an understanding of the importance of diversity of backgrounds on engineering projects and the role that widening participation schemes can play in enabling this. As undergraduate admissions tutor at CEGE, he developed a good understanding of the barriers to widening participation in engineering and the role universities can play in removing these barriers.
James’ teaching interests are in engineering design and professional skills, topics he has taught throughout his time at UCL and continues to lead on the EFY programme. He maintains strong links with industry and holds multiple roles within the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Eleni Katirtzoglou | Module lead for Mathematics for Engineering
Eleni, or Dr K as most of her students call her, is an Associate Fellow of the HEA and has a mathematics PhD in Functional Analysis (Musielak-Orlicz spaces) from the University of Memphis. Eleni started her mathematical career as a researcher in the Basic Research Institute in the Mathematical Sciences (BRIMS) at Hewlett-Packard Labs in Bristol and then in the Department of Control Optimization and Stochastics at Delft University of Technology.
After completing an MSc in European Political Economy at LSE she dedicated her career to educating students who wanted to learn mathematics. Eleni held various educational roles at LSE, UCL and QMUL.
Her contributions to mathematics education include the development of the round table model, an active-learning course design for teaching and learning mathematics that was successfully implemented to a number of courses at LSE. Her work has been recognized in teaching awards such as two LSE Excellence in Education Awards (2016 and 2021) and the LSESU Award for Innovative Teaching in 2016.
Fawaz Saket | Lecturer (Teaching)
Jummie Oladejo | Lecturer (Teaching)
Dr. Jumoke Oladejo is a lecturer within the Faculty of Engineering Sciences. She has an MSc in Sustainable Energy Engineering and a PhD in Energy Technologies.
She is a certified BREEAM and WELL accredited professional (AP), and an accredited fellow (FHEA) of the UK Advance HE. For the past four years, she has taught on a wide range of courses in physics and engineering for foundation year students, as well as final year architecture and environmental engineering at a Sino-British University. She is also a sustainability enthusiast and believes deeply in encouraging diversity, equal opportunities and supporting students to achieve their potential, especially within the STEM field.
Currently on maternity leave.
Fran Bowen-Watts | Senior Teaching and Learning Administrator
With a strong administrative background in Higher Education and Engineering, Fran is passionate about helping and aiding aspiring engineers with their studies.
Fran has previously worked with the Education team at the Institution of Civil Engineers where she deepened her understanding and knowledge for the amazing work engineers do!
Costas Constantinou | Teaching and Learning Administrator
Costas has a passion for education in general, and has a diverse experience in higher education.
Previously he has worked for an international higher education institution in London offering front-desk support to international students and more recently worked as a Teaching and Learning Administrator for the PGCE Secondary teaching training at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society.
Vanessa | Student Support & Wellbeing Coordinator
Vanessa provides support to students with physical, mobility, sensory, neurological, or mental health-related disabilities. She offers guidance on reasonable adjustments and signposts students to support services within and outside of UCL. She has a keen interest in widening participation, equality, diversity and inclusion. An advocate for lifelong learning, she believes it is never too late to improve yourself. She's worked in Higher Education since 2015 and also did an engineering degree!
Outreach and marketing
Kate Wilson | Outreach and Marketing Manager
Kate started her post in August 2023. Before then, she worked in a similar role in the UCL Department of Chemical Engineering, in projects with schools at the UCL IOE, in course administration, and as a teaching assistant in East London.
Kate works with her EFY colleagues (and occasionally, students), Admissions and other central teams to ensure the information about the Engineering Foundation Year is clear and engaging. She also coordinates STEM education engagement activities with schools and the general public.