Sheila Amici-dargan

Biography

I graduated with a BSc hons in Cell Biology from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in 1998 and completed a PhD in Biophysics at UEA in 2001, in the laboratories of Prof Alan Dawson FRS and Dr Edward Lea. My PhD involved setting up a novel technique (excised-patch single-channel recordings of purified receptors reconstituted into giant liposomes) to investigate the pharmacological regulation of IP3 receptors. In 2002 I moved to the USA to work as a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Professor Ian Parker FRS at the University of California Irvine (UCI), where my main research projects involved using line-scan confocal imaging and flash photolysis of caged compounds in Xenopus oocytes to investigate modulation of IP3-mediated calcium signals by calcium buffers and neuronal Ca2+ binding proteins. On returning to the UK, I took up a temporary post at the Biochemical Society as a Professional and Education Projects Manager, which involved running scientific events, maintaining educational websites and forging links with external organisations. In 2004 I joined the University of Bristol, where I conducted postdoctoral research in the laboratories of laboratories of Professor Graham Collingridge FRS and Professor David Jane. My research there focused on the role of glutamate receptors in synaptic plasticity in hippocampal brain slices using simultaneous 2-photon microscopy, whole-cell electrophysiology and calcium imaging. In 2009 I was appointed to a University Lectureship in Physiology at Cardiff University. I completed a postgraduate certificate in higher education in 2012 (awarded Graduate School of Education, Bristol University), and was promoted to Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University in 2013. I currently teach Physiology and Neuroscience to undergraduate students, am the degree scheme coordinator for Physiology, academic lead for enrolment and module leader for BI1002 Structure and function of living organisms. I have active interests in science outreach and pedagogic research and am a member of the Physiological Society’s Education and Outreach committee.

Research Interest

My main educational research interests are focused on how we can enhance research-led teaching in large student cohorts. I am currently leading several pedagogic projects with academics at Cardiff University and in other higher education institutions. The main aims of my research are (1) to create educational resources and active learning sessions to engage university students with current research and statistics, and (2) to create free educational resources for teachers and pupils in secondary schools. I also have active collaborations with Steve Rutherford (shadow modules and flipped lectures), Andrew Shore (transition to higher education) and Hannah Shaw/Andrew Shore (student-authored assessments).