WATE 25 SEM winners

Winner and Butterworth Award Winner - Tom Ritchie (Chemistry)

My teaching creates an 'educational ecosystem' where Chemistry students thrive through contextually-adapted, integrated curriculum experiences. Beyond Science and Innovation 101 address specific transitional challenges while cultivating research skills and professional confidence, yielding measurable improvements in outcomes. My teaching approach extends beyond Chemistry through IATL's AI Revolution module, integrating emotional, social, and ethical dimensions through 'Fill Up Your Cup,' industry podcasts linked to UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the We are Chemistry programme. Students are genuine partners – co-creating content, redesigning assessments, and leading innovations. This partnership model has transformed student engagement, reduced awarding gaps, and empowered students across disciplinary boundaries.

About Tom

Dr. Tom Ritchie is Reader and Director of Student Experience in Chemistry. He creates relationship-rich learning environments where students are partners in their education. His work integrates Education for Sustainable Development through the Building Belonging Framework and We are Chemistry programme, supporting students' personal and academic growth across different disciplines.

Highly Commended - Jianhua Yang (Warwick Manufacturing Group)

I see my role as co-creating an environment that is inclusive, reflective, and fit for rapid technological changes, allowing transformation and learners’ construction to happen. My teaching empowers students through industry-relevant, up-to-date content and socially aware, constructivist methods, complemented by tailored individual support that links academic rigour with real-world practice. I promote peer review and hands-on activities to cultivate collaboration, inclusivity, and accelerated skill development, an approach reflected in high module satisfaction. Through regular surveys, dialogic teaching, and iterative curriculum redesign, I sustain a culture of continuous co-creation in which learners excel and contribute as genuine partners in knowledge creation.

About Jianhua

Dr Jianhua Yang earned his PhD at Warwick’s School of Engineering in 2010. He subsequently gained experience in both academia and industry and is now a Reader (Associate Professor) at WMG. Dr Yang is a Fellow of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA) and Warwick Institute of Engagement (WIE).

Commended - Edwina Jones (Warwick Manufacturing Group)

My teaching philosophy is focused on student-centred learning and teaching innovation. I incorporate student and graduate voices in learning design, academic development and community events to highlight the holistic student experience, and how an understanding of this can inform transformative teaching and learning methods. I combine this philosophy with approaches to foster teaching innovation via the creation of collaborative design and development opportunities where teaching staff can share ideas, draw on peer feedback and experiment in a supportive environment.

About Edwina

Edwina is an Associate Professor in the Education Innovation Group at WMG. She works in partnership with teaching staff as: a learning designer working across subjects and qualifications; a moodle experimenter; a lead on the WMG Academic Development programme and as a mentor and assessor of the APP-EXP Fellowship programme.

Postgraduates who teach award: SEM Faculty

Winner - Amir Cheshmehzangi (Warwick Manufacturing Group)

As a PhD researcher at WMG and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, I teach across disciplines including data analytics, machine learning, AI, and applied statistics. My approach balances depth with relevance, centring students by designing learning around their backgrounds, goals, and voices. I integrate my research, adapt to diverse needs, and co-create content that builds curiosity, confidence, and inclusion. Whether exploring ethical questions in AI or applying algorithms to real-world scenarios, I aim to empower learners as thinkers and collaborators. Teaching, for me, is a shared process of growth, shaped by reflection, care, and constant learning. I aim not just to inform, but to empower, and nurture students as independent thinkers, creative problem-solvers, and future professionals.

About Amir

Amir is a PhD researcher at WMG and Associate Tutor teaching across data science and engineering. A Fellow of the HEA, Amir focuses on inclusive, student-led teaching that connects theory to practice. Amir is passionate about empowering learners and continuously growing as an educator through research, reflection, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Winner - Catriona Conway (Warwick Medical School)

As a teacher, my priority and passion is supporting my students to feel confident, comfortable, and recognised as rounded human beings. My approachability and encouraging nature creates a space where students feel empowered to ask for help and for them to feedback, engaging them as partners in their learning. I deliver teaching that connects with academic and professional contexts, using real research examples to show the relevance of taught material. I foster independent thinking by demonstrating how to tackle uncertainty and evaluate methodologies. My practices cultivate sustained engagement and long-term impact, with students applying these skills in their future careers.

About Catriona

Catriona is a final year PhD researcher working on cell division in humans and Graduate Teaching Assistant on the PGT module Microscopy and Imaging. Alongside research, she also holds a keen interest in researcher wellbeing, being awarded an Enhancing Research Culture grant to facilitate this in 2023-24.

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Commended - Maria Magdalena Napitupulu (Warwick Manufacturing Group)

Drawing on my PhD research and entrepreneurial background, I employ hands-on, reflective, and evidence-based approaches to teaching. I view teaching as a transformative, inclusive, & student-centred practice. I prioritise holistic support, particularly for international students, and strive to create spaces where learners feel seen, valued, and empowered. As a GTA, I contribute by enhancing module resources, assessing student assignments, facilitating support sessions, providing constructive feedback, & collaborating with peers to ensure the success of the course. I also extend my role beyond academic matters by supporting students in exploring their future career aspirations. My goal is to foster meaningful learning experiences that empower students to thrive both academically & personally. 

About Maria

​​Maria is a PhD researcher in Enterprise Education at WMG, specialising in the development of entrepreneurial competencies through innovative teaching methods. She is actively involved in nine modules across various departments. With several years of experience as an entrepreneur and lecturer at a university in Indonesia, she focuses on experiential entrepreneurship pedagogies that bridge theory and practice.​

Commended - Jia Le Tan (Statistics)

I prioritise easing students’ transition from A-Level to university mathematics by explicitly contrasting familiar techniques with new conceptual approaches. I transform tutorials into interactive small-group discussions, then collect anonymous feedback after each session to refine pacing, content, and assignment guidance. I run optional, bookable drop-in problem-solving sessions for targeted help. After term, I launched an informal mentoring scheme offering periodic one-to-one academic and wellbeing support. These initiatives have boosted student confidence, engagement, and performance,

demonstrating adaptive teaching, holistic support, and genuine learner partnership.

About Jia Le

​​Jia Le Tan is a second-year PhD candidate in Statistics at the University of Warwick. He holds a BSc in Mathematics & Statistics from Warwick and an MSc in Computer Science from Oxford. His research applies Approximate Bayesian Computation and Sequential Monte Carlo methodologies to parameter inference in fisheries models.​