Dr Natalie Rowley BSc, PhD, EurChem, CChem FRSC, SFHEA, NTF

School of Chemistry
Associate Professor in Chemistry Education

Contact details

Telephone: +44 (0) 121 414 4411
Email: n.m.rowley@bham.ac.uk

Address: School of Chemistry
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Natalie Rowley is a Associate Professor and Head of Quality Assurance and Enhancement in the School. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a National Teaching Fellow and a Fellow of the Higher Education Futures institute (HEFi) at the University of Birmingham.

She has been project leader on a number of University of Birmingham Learning Development projects in the areas of e-Learning and Enquiry-Based Learning, the latter of which led to her supervising the School’s first MPhil student in Chemical Education research. She was also joint project lead on a National HE STEM project on Science Communication and on a University of Birmingham STEM Education Centre project conducting research into enhancing the student learning experience through lecture flipping. She is currently working on a project jointly funded by the University of Birmingham Educational Enhancement Fund, School of Chemistry and her National Teaching Fellowship Award: “Towards Defining and Creating the “Birmingham Chemist” through Research-Intensive Innovative Teaching.

Qualifications

National Teaching Fellow, 2016
Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 2014
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2013
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2007
Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Birmingham, 2002
Chartered Chemist Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (CChem MRSC) and European Chemist (EurChem), 1994,
PhD in Chemistry, University of Birmingham, 1991
BSc (Hons) in Chemistry, University of Birmingham, 1988

Biography

Natalie Rowley obtained her BSc (Hons) Degree (Class 1) in Chemistry in 1988. She studied the synthesis, characterisation and photochemistry of some peripherally-molybdenated tetraphenyl porphyrins in the Metal-Organic research group of Professor Jon McCleverty and Dr Chris Jones, and in other research groups world-wide, obtaining her PhD in 1991. Professor Ian Smith FRS was then her mentor for a year, whilst she studied the kinetic spectroscopy of multi-channel reactions using tunable infrared diode lasers. She then studied for a further three years in the research group of Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart FRS (with Professor Ian Smith FRS and Dr Chris Jones as co-supervisors) conducting research into the synthesis and photoinduced electron transfer properties of some [2]rotaxanes and [2]catenanes.

Natalie was appointed as a Lecturer in the School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham in 1995 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2013. She was awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education from the University of Birmingham in 2002 and became a member of the Institute of Learning and Teaching (ILTM) in 2004. She was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) in 2007 and became a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) in 2013. She became a National Teaching Fellow (NTF) in 2016 and became a Member of the International Federation of Teaching Fellows (IFNTF) in 2017. She became a Fellow of the Higher Education Futures institute (HEFi) at the University of Birmingham in 2018.

Natalie became a Chartered Chemist Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry (CChem MRSC) and European Chemist (EurChem) in 1994 and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2014. She was elected as a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Education Division Council (2012-15) and is currently a committee member of the Royal Society of Chemistry's Tertiary Education Group (2010-20).

Natalie was awarded a University of Birmingham Teaching Fellowship in 2006 and was awarded the Head of School Prize for Excellence in Teaching in the School of Chemistry in 2010. She was appointed as Educational Enhancement Fellow for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences between 2010 and 2012. She won an award for Educational Leadership from the Higher Education Futures institute (HEFi) at the University of Birmingham in 2017.

Teaching

Publications

N. Rowley (2019), "Developing inquiring minds through learning chemistry", in M. K. Seery and C. McDonnell (Eds.).

Teaching Chemistry in Higher Education: A Festschrift in Honour of Professor Tina Overton, Creathach Press, Dublin, pp.151 - 164.

N. Rowley and J. Green (2015). Just-in-time Teaching and Peer Instruction in the Flipped Classroom to Enhance Student Learning. Education in Practice, 2(1), 14-17.

N. Rowley (2013). Learning Chemistry through Enquiry. Chemistry in Action! 101, 27-31.

N. Rowley (2013). ‘Flipping’ shows how technology can be applied to teaching. SCHOMS Connections, 4, 11.

J. Green and N. Rowley (2013). Lecturing without Lectures – Our Experiences of “Lecture Flipping” in Biology and Chemistry. Proceedings of HEA STEM Annual Conference, University of Bimingham.

N. Rowley and J. Wilkie (2012). Science Communication.Proceedings of HEA STEM Annual Conference, Imperial College.

T. Lucas and N.M. Rowley (2011). Enquiry-based learning: experiences of first year chemistry students learning spectroscopy. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 12, 478-486.

E.M. Page, D. Read and N.M. Rowley (2011). Sowing the seeds of change: students taking the lead in chemical education research projects. New Directions in the Teaching of Physical Sciences, 7, 69-71.

N. Rowley and J. Wilkie (2011). Science Communication and the Media, Proceedings of Variety in Chemistry Education (T.L Overton, Ed). RSC, ISBN: 978-1-84973-431-8, p18

N Rowley, T Lucas, M McLinden, T Overton (2008). Preliminary Findings of Using Enquiry-Based Learning in First Year Undergraduate Chemistry. Birmingham Education, Theory and Action 1(2), 9-16.

T Lucas and N Rowley (2008). Preliminary Findings of Using Enquiry-Based Learning in Chemistry. Proceedings of Variety in Chemistry Education (T L Overton, Ed.) RSC. ISBN: 1-84755-835-6, p15.

T Lucas and N Rowley (2007). Our First Steps in Enquiry-Based Learning in Chemistry. Proceedings of Variety in Chemistry Education (T L Overton, Ed.) RSC. ISBN: 1-84755-751-1, p15.

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