معرفی
Simon Lancaster is Professor of Chemistry Education at the School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology at the University of East Anglia. He currently serves as Director of Learning and Teaching, Director of the Chemistry with a Foundation Year Degree, Director of the Chemistry with Education Degree, and Head of Foundation Year.
Professor Lancaster obtained his BSc (1991), MSc (1992), and PhD (1995) from the University of East Anglia. After a four-year research officer position at the University of Leeds, he returned to UEA in 2000 as a Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2009, and to Professor in 2014. His career trajectory demonstrates a strong commitment to both research and education in chemistry.
His research spans two complementary domains: chemistry education innovation and organometallic chemistry. In chemistry education, he pioneered technology-enhanced learning approaches, being the first at UEA to use virtual online environments for automated quizzes, lecture capture, and flipped teaching methodologies. His recent work focuses on augmented reality applications for chemistry education, including educational escape activities and immersive virtual reality for stereochemistry instruction. In organometallic chemistry, his research centers on homogenous catalysis, particularly hybrid octahedral group 4 alkene polymerization catalysts, very weakly basic anions, zwitterions, activated ammonia chemistry, and supramolecular organometallic architectures.
Professor Lancaster's publication record shows a strategic evolution from fundamental organometallic research to innovative educational applications, with his most recent work demonstrating how technology can transform chemistry education. His research group has produced numerous significant contributions across both domains, with applications ranging from polymerization catalysis to educational technology development.
- HEA National Teaching Fellow (2013)
- RSC Chemical Education Activating Research Bursary (2013)
- RSC Higher Education Award (2013)
- Sir Geoffrey and Lady Allen Award for Excellence in Teaching (2010)
- Laurie Vergnano prize for Inorganic Chemistry (1996)
- One of the 175 Royal Society of Chemistry Faces of Diversity
As an academic leader, Professor Lancaster has supervised numerous PhD and Master's students, with many going on to successful careers in academia and industry. He has led national collaborations on chemical concept inventories and has been invited to speak on teaching matters at numerous institutions across the UK. His leadership extends to professional organizations, where he served as President of the RSC Education Division (2017-2020) and Chair of the RSC Tertiary Education Group (2015-2017). His research group has maintained a strong presence in both fundamental chemistry research and educational innovation, with current members working on zinc benzoate complexes, gold catalysis mechanisms, and amido-borate ligand chemistry.
