2022–25
Director of Research (EPQ) / Teacher of Chemistry and Biology · Shenzhen International Foundation College
Three years in senior academic leadership: designing and running the college’s research programme while teaching AP and A Level sciences.
At SIFC I could bring my two professional lives together. The EPQ asks students to do what researchers do: choose a question, review the literature, plan, carry out and evaluate an independent project. I designed the programme so that every student had regular supervision, explicit teaching of research skills and clear milestones.
Reflection. A 95% completion rate showed the value of structure. Independent learning works best when the scaffolding around it is designed with care.
Goals for the year
- Build a structured Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) programme
- Make AP and A Level sciences more attractive and accessible
- Use data to sharpen science assessment
What I did
- Designed the EPQ programme end to end: supervision model, research-skills teaching, milestones and assessment
- Built data-driven assessment frameworks and cross-department alignment protocols for science
- Supervised student research across science and beyond
Impact
- 50+ students completed EPQ research projects, with a 95% completion rate
- 40% growth in AP and A Level science enrolment
Professional learning
- AP Chemistry Workshop (College Board, 2024)
- UK Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) awarded
- UK ENIC Statement of Comparability (2022)