Meet the team: UCL Arena Centre for Research-based Education

Contact details and team information for the UCL Arena Centre.

The Arena Centre shapes UCL’s distinctive teaching and learning through our Connected Curriculum framework for research-based education. 

Guided by UCL’s Education Strategy, we offer support for

• curriculum and learning design
• individual professional development to all staff who teach and support learning
• resources workshops and consultancy (at UCL and internationally) on education development

Through scholarship, networking and horizon scanning, our team of Teaching Academics maintains UCL’s position in the vanguard of developments in the higher education sector, building the capacity of UCL staff to deliver high quality, innovative education.

We work closely with the Office of the Vice-Provost (Education and Student Affairs) on institution-wide projects, quality assurance and managing UCL’s submission to the Teaching Excellence Framework.

We work closely with the Student’s Union UCL on student-staff partnerships to improve the student experience, particularly through ChangeMakers.

View members of the team by function:

• Leadership Team
• Teaching Academics
• Administration
• Programme Management
• Communications
• Consultants and secondees

Leadership Team

• Professor Sam Smidt - Academic Director
• Dr Jennifer Griffiths - Associate Director, Recognition, Development and Resources
• Dr Alex Standen - Associate Director, Early Career Academic and Research Supervisor Development (on maternity leave)
• Dr Brent Carnell - Associate Director, Early Career Academic and Research Supervisor Development 
• Professor Simon Walker - Academic Lead

Teaching Academics

• Dr Silvia Colaiacomo - Lecturer (Teaching)
• Dr Martin Compton - Associate Professor (Teaching) 
• Dr Jason Davies - Associate Professor (Teaching)
• Dr Peter Fitch - Lecturer (Teaching)
• Dr Nick Grindle - Lecturer (Teaching)
• Jesper Hansen - Lecturer (Teaching)
• Dr Rebecca Lindner - Associate Professor (Teaching)
• Karen Matthewman - Lecturer (Teaching)

Administration

• Sonale Karadia - Human Resources Manager/ Office Manager and Executive Assistant to Director

Programme management

• Valentina Barbaria - Projects Manager, Research Supervision and Early Career Academic Development
• Moira Paganelli - Projects Officer, Research Supervision and Early Career Academic Development
• Peter Phillips - Projects Manager, Recognition, Development and Resources
• Abbie King - Strategic Project Manager (Education & Student Experience)
• Sandra Lusk - Projects Officer, Recognition, Development and Resources
• Fiona Wilkie - Projects Officer, Quality Assurance and Enhancement

Communications

• Lauren Hawkridge - Communications and Events Manager, UCL Arena centre

Consultants and secondees

• Dr Rosalind Duhs - BME Attainment Project support and Higher Education Academy Accreditor and Consultant (former Academic Director of UCL Arena Centre)