Judith Williams

Overview

I am Professor of Academic Enhancement, Deputy Associate Dean for Staff Development and Head of the Centre for Academic and Researcher Development. The teaching that I deliver is highly regarded, I have received the University of Manchester Teaching Excellence award, a Distinguished Achievement Medal for Teacher of the year and a Senior Fellowship from the HEA. In 2009 I was short listed for the National Times Higher Award for Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers and in 2008 was awarded the North West Hub of Vitae, the national programme for researcher development developing a team to provide support and training across the region. Until 2015 I was a member of Vitae’s strategy board where I helped shape the national policy on researcher development. As head of the Centre for Academic and Researcher Development I provide support and training for postgraduate taught students through to senior academics and I am responsible for academic training across the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health. I am a member of the Academic Staff Development Group helping shape training and development across the University and have developed a number of supervisor and principal investigator training programmes that are used regionally, nationally and internationally. I have set up strategic partnerships with the Medical Research Council developing and delivering researcher capacity building programmes across Africa

Biography

I gained my undergraduate honours degree in Biochemistry with Studies in the USA 1994 from Salford University and went on to study for my doctorate in Molecular Microbiology in at the University of Southampton. Having very much enjoyed the research experience I continued within my research group employed as a clinical scientist. In 1999 I joined the University of Manchester as a BBSRC funded Postdoctoral Research Associate on a project in association with AstraZeneca to study viral directed Gene Therapy. In 2002 I moved to the Heart Failure Research Group as a Lecturer focusing on the molecular mechanisms underlying Heart Failure. While in this post I became responsible for delivering training on the graduate training programme and moved to a full time position designing and delivering training across the Faculty in 2004. I was awarded the North West hub of Vitae (National body for researcher development) in 2008 and lead the team designing and delivering training across the region. In 2009 I was shortlisted for a Times Higher award for outstanding support for early career researchers and in 2011 I was awarded a distinguished achievement medal for teacher of the year. I have gone on to be awarded a senior fellowship from the Higher Education Academy and a teaching Excellence award from the University of Manchester. I was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2013 and then Professor in 2016.  I am Professor of Academic Enhancement based in the  School of Medical Sciences,  Director of the Centre for Academic and Researcher Development and Deputy Associate Dean for Staff Development.