I am a zoology graduate from Westfield College, U of L, (PGCE IOE 1968. secondary biology and general science). I have taught all ages, including preschool and FE. I set up and ran a new advisory team in Primary Science and Design and Technology for a London Borough where I managed the running of a mobile Technology Unit and delivered CPD to teachers. I also inspected schools with the Schools Inspectorate, later becoming an OFSTED inspector. 

I was appointed Head of Education at the Zoological Society of London. Following redundancy, I studied for a PhD from King’s College, London (1995) and lectured at Cambridge and Winchester. At this time I also worked as an Education officer for the BBC and was the science education adviser to the National Maritime Museum. 

I joined the Institute of Education in 2000 as a Research Officer working with the newly appointed Professor of Science Education and Head of Department, Dr Michael Reiss. From 2007 to 2010 I lectured Teaching and Learning of Science for the BAEd degree and gave lectures on informal learning on other undergraduate degrees. Subsequently, I was  a tutor in Maths Education contributing to new curricula for Mexico and Malta.  

I was partner in an EU fp7 project, Primary Science Net, 2012-2014 which was funded by the from 2016 -2017.  On this project I worked with the Marie Curie Scholar from University of Lyon looking at the use of pictorial resources and fiction for developing an understanding of both science and critical thinking/problems solving skills. I am now a Reader in Science Education (part-time) at the UCL Institute of Education and supervise PhD, DEd and Master’s degree students. 

In 2016 I was awarded the NSTA’s Faraday Award for Science Communication (USA) and also the RGSC in Mauritius for services to science education.  The UK ASE has also recognised me (in 2012) for services to national and international science education. 

I am chair of the Commonwealth Association for Science, Technology and Maths Educators and am a Trustee of the Council for Education in the Commonwealth. I am an Associate Editor for the Journal of Biology Education. I am a member of an African Universities Research group and promoting early years since( pre formal and formal) for ICASE.  I co-founded and co-edited, from 2012 to 2016, the Journal of Emergent Science hosted by the Association for Science Education.