With an undergraduate masters in Chemistry, a PhD in nanotechnology and a research group in the field of 3D printing/Additive Manufacturing, Dr Leigh works at the interface between a number of different disciplines. His engineering education research focusses on the specific challenges faced when academics teach outside their original area of certification. While this aspect of teaching practice is well understood at secondary school level when teachers are expected to teach combined sciences, the relative challenges, advantages and disadvantages are not particularly well understood when considering teaching practice in a Higher Education environment. His work draws upon the theories of Lee Shulman, who in the 1980s outlined the concept of pedagogical content knowledge, a combination of content and teaching knowledge.

Recommended Reading Huston, T. (2009). Teaching what you don’t know. Harvard University Press.