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Spotlight on Dr Andrew Williams, Associate Professor, Department of Education

Each month we will interview a member of DoM Staff. This week we speak to Dr Andrew Williams, Associate Professor, Department of Education,

Andrew Williams Teaching a class

1 August 2024

  • What is your current role, and what do you enjoy most about your job?

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Education, working on both Bloomsbury and Royal Free campuses. I teach undergraduate (BSc) and postgraduate (MSc/MRes) courses for the Division of Medicine and for the Medical School MBBS programme, in subjects including immunology, cell and molecular biology, respiratory biology and human evolution. I am Deputy Director for our BSc Integrated Medical Sciences and suite of Division of Medicine undergraduate programmes, responsibility for our teaching strategy and our delivery of feedback and assessment. I am also Academic Year 3 Lead for MBBS, responsible for UCL’s portfolio of 20 intercalated iBSc programmes and as the Academic Lead for our international medical school students, working with the Centre for International Medical Education Collaborations (CIMEC).

The aspects I enjoy most about my job are working with numerous colleagues across different faculties at UCL, to deliver a variety of education packages, and with our international partners to bring overseas medical students to UCL. The most rewarding part of my job is meeting and teaching new students each year and watching them develop during their time with us. It’s always enormously enjoyable and satisfying to see our students succeed and go on to do amazing things after they graduate!

  • What are you working on at the moment?

I have been working on several education initiatives, including delivering more effective student feedback and have an ongoing interest in assessment and feedback strategies, working with student partners and colleagues to improve our delivery in this area; https://doi.org/10.46328/ijres.3404. I’m current undertaking a Leadership in Education programme with UCL Arena and colleagues at the IOE, to continue my work on feedback best practice, and have recently won a Provost Education Award (2023) for my work on this theme.

I have an interest in generative artificial intelligence (AI) and how it can be integrated into teaching and learning within higher education and, in particular, how AI may impact the way  assessments are delivered and designed. I have ongoing projects with student partners and UCL Arena, for example https://reflect.ucl.ac.uk/digital-assessment/2023/07/30/developing-an-ai-assessment-in-the-division-of-medicine/, promoting a progressive approach to using generative AI in assessments and as a tool to  engage student learning. I am also working on projects to develop authentic assessments that may help reduce the attainment gap for access and under-represented students. This work has allowed me to transition from scientific research to education research.

I am also setting up a new undergraduate module on Human Genetics and Evolution, which will be introduced in the new academic year for our first year students.

  • What is your background, and how did you find your job in this field?

I graduated with a BSc in Biology from Southampton University and a PhD in Immunology from the University of London. I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London for 8 years, on respiratory viral immunology and the epigenetics of acute and chronic lung diseases. I joined UCL in 2010 as a senior postdoc in Rachel Chambers lab (UCL Respiratory), working on neutrophil biology and acute lung injury. I started to transition to education and teaching in 2015-16, setting up new immunology modules on the MSc Human Tissue Repair programme and joined the BSc Applied Medical Sciences team in 2017, lecturing and running courses for our undergraduate students. My role has now expanded to involve the delivery of diverse education initiatives and projects within the division, faculty and across UCL.

  • What are your interests outside work?

Outside of work, I am a keen landscape and wildlife photographer, which allows me to pursue my interests in wildlife and natural history and gets me out of the house! I am the proud owner of a collection of electric guitars, although my poor standard of playing is by no means a reflection of my enthusiasm for rock and heavy metal!