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Mohammad Al-Amin

Associate Professor, School of Engineering

I am the Director of Studies for BEng/MEng Mechanical Engineering, BEng/MEng Civil Engineering, MSc Advanced Mechanical Engineering, and MSc Humanitarian Engineering at the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½. My focus is on enhancing educational quality, student experience, curriculum development, and strategic academic leadership.

Beyond the University, I serve on the IMechE Council, contributing to strategic initiatives shaping the engineering profession, and am actively involved with Engineers Without Borders UK, promoting sustainable and responsible engineering.

As a WIHEA Fellow and active member of the Inclusive Assessment Circle, I am committed to advancing inclusive education, innovative assessment, sustainability, and interdisciplinary collaboration, connecting academic excellence with professional practice and societal impact.

Amir Cheshmehzangi

PhD in Engineering, Warwick Manufacturing Group

I am a researcher and educator with a strong interest in inclusive education, innovative assessment and the meaningful integration of AI into teaching and learning.

Over the past year, my involvement in the WIHEA AI Learning Circle and related workshops has encouraged me to reflect critically on my teaching and assessment practices. In particular, these experiences have influenced how I approach AI, viewing it as an opportunity to rethink assessment rather than simply a challenge to address. This has strengthened my focus on designing meaningful learning experiences that encourage critical thinking, reflection and student ownership, ensuring that students leave each module with demonstrable knowledge and transferable skills. I particularly value the opportunities WIHEA provides for exchanging ideas, learning from colleagues across disciplines and challenging established practices. This year, I look forward to building on these connections, contributing to Learning Circles and exploring how AI and innovative assessment can further enhance student learning and development.

Ali Collins

Director of Careers, Student Opportunity

As Director of Careers, Employability and Skills my focus is on working with students, colleagues and external partners to embed a culture of employability at Warwick, and to equip every student with the skills, national and international experiences and the development opportunities they need for future success. I look forward to working on projects that can have a significant impact on students’ experience, education and long-term success.

Dr Dawn Collins

Reader (Teaching Focused), Warwick Medical School

I am fascinated by how technology can help us create novel, exciting, interactive and inclusive learning experiences. As a WIHEA fellow I hope to contribute to development of strategies that will allow integration of technological developments with authentic local/global voices to enrich the student experience and encourage engagement.

Jo Dobb

Assistant Professor (Teaching Focused), Centre for Teacher Education

Having worked at CTE since 2013 and as a qualified Primary school teacher, I have a strong background in curriculum design, pedagogy and research-informed practice.

As a WHIEA Fellow, I am interested in exploring how identity and a sense of belonging can be fostered through the curriculum to support student progress during practice-related placements.

Cath Fenn

Senior Academic Technologist, Warwick Medical School

I am curious to explore the diverse learning opportunities available to WIHEA Fellows. I bring over 20 years’ experience in digital education within higher education, 10 years as an active WIHEA member, and extensive experience collaborating with medical students. My areas of special interest include immersive pedagogies, creative design practices, critical digital pedagogy, the application of AI agents as educational support tools, gamification strategies, belonging and sustainability initiatives.

Will Haywood

Assistant Professor, Centre for Teacher Education / Academic Development Centre

As an experienced teacher, teacher educator and education developer I am excited to become involved with WIHEA. I am looking forward to bringing my expertise in assessment & feedback and student engagement to help enhance education and student experience at Warwick, in particular through exploring and supporting the development of authentic and inclusive assessment practices.

Dr Sacha Hepburn

Director of Student Experience and Progression, Faculty of Arts

I am Director of Student Experience in the Arts Faculty, leading student-centred, co-created initiatives that challenge structural inequalities and strengthen community. My disciplinary expertise lies in African history, with a particular focus on labour, gender, age, and history’s role in addressing contemporary global challenges. I look forward to collaborating on projects that foster inclusion and community and strengthen WIHEA’s global partnerships.

Amanda Kowalczyk

 Associate Professor (Warwick Global Academy); Deputy Dean of Students & Faculty Senior Tutor for Arts (Dean of Students Office)

I have been designing and delivering Law modules on the Warwick IFP since 2016, working with students who are taking their first steps into higher education in the UK. I love teaching and I’m keen to ensure that excellent teaching work is recognised and rewarded at the university; I focused on this area for the university’s Personal Tutoring Review in 2024/25 and I am now co-lead of the WIHEA Teaching Reward & Recognition learning circle. I am passionate about diversity and ensuring that individual differences are supported. Through my work in the Dean of Students Office, I see the complexity of challenges faced by students and the value of regularly reviewing our policies and practice to improve opportunities. I hope to contribute to WIHEA projects that promote belonging and inclusivity, for staff and students, at the university.

Professor Nina-Anne Lawrence

Director of Warwick Foundation Studies, Warwick Foundation Studies

I have extensive experience in international education and international affairs including academic leadership of programmes which enable international students to succeed in their university studies. This experience includes the UK and also offshore in China and Europe. As a member of the university’s newly formed Transnational Education (TNE) Group and as I am leading the development of TNE models for delivery of programmes within my department, I hope to lead or support discussions within WIHEA around effective models and approaches for Warwick TNE.

Dr Daniel Lowe

Assistant Professor in Law / Deputy Director of Undergraduate Studies, School of Law

I am a teaching focused academic with over ten years' experience in higher education and expertise in human rights and international law. As a WIHEA Fellow, I am excited to contribute to initiatives aimed at enhancing the accessibility and enjoyability of education for all students, particularly those who face significant barriers to learning.

Dr Maryam Masood

Associate Professor (Teaching Focused), Warwick Manufacturing Group

I am a teaching-focused Assistant Professor at WMG, with a background in sustainability, waste management, and the circular economy. I lead a large-scale hybrid postgraduate research methods module and am passionate about inclusive and digitally enhanced education. As a WIHEA Fellow and member of the AI Learning Circle, I look forward to exploring AI-enabled learning and developing scalable, accessible, and equitable learning design in hybrid environments.

Dr Ewan E. Mellor

Quality and Partnerships Development Manager

I work in Education Policy and Quality and have a particular interest in widening the opportunities for participation in higher education by developing diverse, accessible, and inclusive routes and modes of study. I have expertise in the distance and online learning, blended learning, part-time study, collaborative and trans-national education, and degree apprenticeships. As a WIHEA Fellow I look forward to working with colleagues to explore micro-credentials, stackable awards, and open degrees as ways to make a Warwick education more accessible. In particular, I am interested in exploring what the student experience means for these alternative modes of delivery and understanding how to maintain and enhance the student experience and the quality of education.

George Morrell

Deputy Head of Disability Services, Disability Services

I am the Associate Director of Disability & Student Support and have worked within the Disability Team for 12 years. My role includes supporting students with disabilities to access support, ensuring they have an equitable learning experience. Working closely with staff and students, I have an enthusiasm to support everyone by raising awareness for this topic and implementing relevant adjustments to individuals based on need. I am also keen to promote how the university can help to address the challenges that students who have a disability can face. I am excited to work as an WIHEA Fellow, where I aim to use my experience to encourage and implement inclusive education and promote positive learning for all.

Dr Natasha Mwila

Reader, Warwick Business School

With a decade of international experience in HE, I bring case method expertise. I lead case writing at WBS, mentoring new writers and developing resources for our teaching and learning site. Through WIHEA, I aim to share innovative case-based practices and engage in practice-oriented teaching and learning initiatives more broadly.

Dr Eleanor Reynolds

Luda Ruddock

Academic Partnerships Manager, Innovation Group

I am excited to share my expertise in designing and piloting educational and capacity development programmes that promote multi-stakeholder engagement, international, intercultural, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

During WIHEA fellowship, I aim to contribute to initiatives that advance sustainability, innovation and place-based education, integrate enterprise and entrepreneurship education, and promote global citizenship

Ian Saunders

Associate Professor (Teaching Focused), Computer Science

I am an Associate Professor in Computer Science and departmental EDI/Athena SWAN lead. I am passionate about inclusive pedagogy, technology-enhanced learning and innovation. As a WIHEA Fellow, I chair the Designing and Assessing Group Work Learning Circle, through which I am working on projects to understand and address students’ group work challenges, develop inclusive approaches to group allocation, and improve peer-based feedback and assessment practices.

Fatemeh Shahbazi

Associate Professor, Course Director for Applied Professional Engineering Programme (APEP), Warwick Manufacturing Group

I am an Associate Professor (Teaching Focussed) and Course Director for APEP at WMG, with expertise in engineering simulations and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). I am passionate about enhancing engineering education through inclusive, active and innovative learning, and have developed gamified teaching approaches that achieve high levels of student engagement and satisfaction. As Course Director, I provide academic leadership across APEP, a course group comprising four courses, supporting curriculum enhancement, programme quality and the student experience. As a WIHEA Fellow, I am particularly interested in inclusive education, digital and technology-enhanced learning, student engagement and educational leadership, and in collaborating across the University to share effective practice and support educational innovation.

Dr Saran Shantikumar

Assistant Professor, Academic Development Centre

I’m interested in how students sustain human connection and wellbeing in an AI-driven, smartphone-dominated world. I aim to champion high-quality, distinctively lecture-based teaching; support the professional development of postgraduate researchers who teach; and draw on my secondary-sector experience to explore how school-based practices can enhance inclusion and excellence in HE.

Emily Watkins

Widening Participation Officer, Widening Participation

I am a Widening Participation (WP) Officer at the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, where I lead mA*ths Online, a maths attainment-raising programme delivered in partnership with academic departments and our partner, the Hg Foundation. I have a longstanding interest in widening participation, having worked in the sector for many years, as well as my own experience of coming to university through a WP access programme and scholarship.

So far through WIHEA, I have had the pleasure of leading a research project exploring the experiences and sense of belonging of Priority Group students and Warwick Scholar Undergraduates. I’m keen to continue exploring how we can invite student voice to help the University to improve its inclusive practices and positively impact the student experience and success of students from widening participation backgrounds.

Head of Work based & Professional Learning, Flexible & Online Learning (Education Group)

My passion lies in ensuring achievable learning outcomes are overtly visible in authentically appropriate assessment, with distinct opportunities to explore multiple outcomes, with experiential work-related practice that contextualises academic concepts. Learners thrive when they are able to experiment, play out and embed experiences learned from ‘life’.

Being a senior leader in HE is a privilege. I’ve had the agency to drive bold educational innovation—transforming global curricula, embedding authentic assessment, and championing inclusive pathways into and through higher education. These roles have allowed me to challenge convention, shape policy, and empower others to succeed - I am delighted to continue in this journey

Dr Samantha Wilson-Thain

Associate Professor (Teaching Focused) / Director of Student Experience (DSEP), School of Life Sciences

I am a Doctor of Education and Senior Fellow with almost 20 years of experience in transforming learning and teaching in higher education. As Director of Student Experience in SLS, I drive belonging-centred educational practices and co-lead teaching innovation. I co-create networks, mentor educators, and drive change that places students at the heart of higher education. As a WIHEA fellow, I hope to continue my work in DEI, collaborating across faculties and beyond to achieve a truly inclusive educational experience.