Vigilance can report that leading forensic anthropologist Dr Tim Thompson has been presented with a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship for his revolutionary methods into teaching bone identification.
Dr Thompson, Reader in Biological and Forensic Anthropology at Teesside University, received the Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy during a ceremony in Liverpool.
The £10,000 Fellowship recognises excellence in teaching and learning, with just 55 awarded this year to academics in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Dr Thompson said: “The award is given for demonstrating that you are transforming the learning experience of students, so for me personally, it’s a wonderful recognition of the effort made to make my teaching interesting and innovative.
“As well as acknowledgement for myself and acclaim for the University, there is also a cash award which I can reinvest into my teaching and research.”
Dr Thompson, who teaches at all levels, from foundation courses to PhD students, added: “I was delighted when I first found out I had been put forward. Although I have a very active research line, I try to bring this directly into my teaching to make it innovative and engaging, so for me personally, it’s great recognition.
“I make a lot of effort to enhance the students’ learning experience and get a positive response from students and colleagues, but it’s still nice to achieve this type of external recognition too, which makes it all the more rewarding.”
Dr Thompson is a renowned expert on heat-induced apatite and crystallinity changes in bone, and most of his research on this focuses on the development of new analytical tools to examine this challenging biomaterial.
He is also interested in the role of forensic anthropology and anthropologists in the world at large, researching teaching methods and processes within forensic anthropology and has published on the legal and ethical constraints of teaching such subjects.
Alongside developing his own research team at Teesside University, he currently chairs the University Research Ethics and Integrity Committee, is deputy chair of the University Research Degrees Committee and sits on the University Research Policy Committee. Externally, he is the publicity secretary for the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology and works closely with the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of Teesside University, Professor Eileen Martin said: “During his time at Teesside University Dr Tim Thompson has shown incredible commitment to the profession and in providing the highest quality experience to his students. We are extremely proud and congratulate him on this prestigious accolade.
“Becoming a National Teaching Fellow is a great honour. It will undoubtedly help to enhance Dr Thompson’s unique research and ultimately benefit current and future students – offering them the best possible learning experience during their time at Teesside University.”