麻豆传媒

Overview

I am award winning teaching-focused academic. My background includes microbiology and enterprise and entrepreneurship. I lead the Global, Sustainability, and Enterprise activities in my school, bringing a global perspective, including study overseas activities, intercultural competence, commitment to the UN SDGs and language resource opportunities. I have embedded enterprise and creativity into the biosciences curricula, and teach bio-enterprise at undergraduate and Masters level. I am passionate about employer and alumni engagement to broaden student perspectives and career direction, and have a keen interest in outreach activities and societal engagement. I am a member of the Leading Edge Curriculum team embedding cross-cuttign themes across all NU programmes by 2030.

Values-led, I champion creativity and co-creation, involving cross-disciplinary working and learning. My pedagogic research focuses on the impacts of enterprise education, experiential learning, and development of opportunities to develop career identity. I hold an External Examiner post in biosciences and lead a national network for enterprise academics. I am a Policy Academy Fellow and have contributed to STEM education direction in Westminster forums and roundtables. I co-wrote the Athena SWAN award for my School, and coordinate the School's Green Impact team.

Background

Roles and Responsibilities

School level 

Lead for Global, Sustainability and Enterprise: Development, quality assurance, and maintenance of exchange agreements, Study Abroad (incl. Pre-Med), and educational exchanges (global; physical and virtual mobility)

Pastoral Tutor 

2013-2016 - Chair of Equality and Fairness Self Assessment Team (Athena SWAN)

Faculty Level

Member of FMS Global Committee

University Level

Co-Chair Sustainability Committee

Member of University Court

Heads of University Biosciences, Royal Society of Biology SIG (University representative)

Language Resource Centre Advisory Group FMS rep

Student Mobility Sub-Committee member

Qualifications 

Fellow of Enterprise Educators UK - Academic Pathway

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

SEDA Leading and Developing Academic Practice award

Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice

Ph.D., Faculty of Medical Sciences, 麻豆传媒

ILM Diploma in Management

ILM Certificate in First-Line Management

B.Sc (Hons) Microbiology, 麻豆传媒

Previous Positions

Lecturer (Enterprise), School of Biomedical Sciences, 麻豆传媒

Teaching Fellow, School of Biomedical Sciences, 麻豆传媒

Postdoctoral Research Associate, ICAMB, University of 麻豆传媒

Memberships

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Member of the Royal Society of Biology

Microbiology Society member

Awards

HE Bioscience Teacher of the Year, Royal Society of Biology, 2024

Vice Chancellor's Education Excellence Award, 2023

Outstanding Contribution to Enterprise Award 2007 (sponsored by North East Strategic Partnership).

Informal Interests

Cycling, running, wellbeing and all things outdoors. Sustainable living.

Fascination with bioscience and innovation, and committed to keep on learning. 

I am a bio-scientist (microbiology, genetics and biochemistry) turned enterprise educator academic (with management, academic practice and enterprise qualifications).

My educational role involves embedding enterprise and creativity into the biosciences curricula alongside bioscience theory, digital and practical skills, I teach across undergraduate programmes and contribute to masters level bio-enterprise. including labs, seminars, lectures, and online teaching and interaction.

Module (Leading*, Supervisor**, Lectures, Seminars, Labs or assessment)

• CMB1004 - Cell Biology
• BMS2013 - *Practical and presentation skills in Biomedical Sciences 
• BMS3003 - *Business Enterprise for the Bioscientist
• CMB1003 - Microbiology and Immunology
• CMB1011 - Professional and Practical Skills in Biomedical Sciences  
• CMB2009 - Clinical Skills       
• CMB3000 - Biosciences Research Project**
• CMB3002 - *Biosciences Research Project (Exchange)**  
• CMB3005 - *Biosciences Study Abroad Year
• MMB8038 - Bioscience Research, Development and Enterprise

Teaching Developments

Designed and implemented new modules: 

• CMB3002 Biosciences Research Project module
• CMB3005 Biosciences Study Abroad Year (model rolled out across school and subsequently revised for University-wide option)
• NCL3110 Vacation Research project module (now ncl+ Advanced Award in Research)
• BMS Curriculum Review - new modules and components including embedding, global, sustainability and enterprise.

Degree Programme Design:

• Coordinated the development of the Biosciences suite of BSc Hons degrees via a coherent curriculum project (2012) and introduction of the Overseas Placement year (version including CMB3005)
• Co-created and managed the B9N2 BSc Hons Biomedical Sciences with Business degree (then - Biomedical Sciences with Management)

Co-designed the assessment for the subsequent Ncl +Advanced Award (Research) for vacation research projects)

Co-created the BMS3016 Science Communication module

Delivered university-wide, term 3 poster training in communicating your research to a layperson

Pedagogic Research Interests

• Educational pedagogy and the development of new techniques for teaching undergraduate Biomedical Science degrees. Integration of enterprise skills to bioscience students and development of methods for embedding concepts of personal development and employability in education.
• Development og intercultural competence and a global mindset through experiential learning.
• Student communication of research - layperson accessibility
• Online teaching and learning.
• Embedding Sustainability in Education ( ESD toolkit available in eight languages: Sustainable Development Goals Toolkit | Learning and Teaching @ 麻豆传媒 | 麻豆传媒 (ncl.ac.uk) )
• Co-creation with students
• Cross-disciplinary projects (including the Business School, Computing, Engineering, , Medicine, Music, Arts and Culture)

Research skills:

Current Work

• Adding value to the student experience; encouraging students to reflect on their authentic and experiential learning experiences for employability and personal development.
• Enhancing the global experience of students through internationalising the curriculum and providing virtual and physical mobility options.
• Using online teaching and learning tools to improve the student feedback experience and to enhance employability skills
• Embedding enterprise into the bioscience curriculum, including nurturing these skills through and outside the cuirriculum.
• Embedding sustainability in the biosciences, within and around the curriculum context.
• Engagement with employers, alumni and regional stakeholders to increase student access to work experience, jobs, careers information and advice.

Scientific

Past research specialisms in Microbiology, with experience in:

• Biochemistry: enzyme assays and kinetics (bacterial respiration).
• Genetics: genetic analysis of transcriptional regulation.
• Microbiology; fungal, bacterial, environmental and microbiota, scanning electron microscopy
• Molecular Biology: PCR, gene cloning and overexpression, mutagenesis.
• Biophysics: using Biacore Technology (SPR).
• Proteomics:overproduction and purification using chromatography,

Research

• Experiential learning and the impact of progressive coaching on student confidence.
• Analysis of the impact of blended learning methods in the bioscience curriculum (Canvas and various online teaching and learning methods)
• Analysis of the impact of the enterprise interventions upon graduate destinations and employability.
• Evaluation of the impact of global experience upon future aspirations and development in graduates
• Cross-curricular co-creation (joint project with Arts and Culture)
• Common ground in enterprise understanding - cross-discipline enterprise concepts
• Research Roles
• Educational research developing and evaluating innovative e-learning methods (e.g. Virtual lab development, use of ReCap and online learning technologies).
• Enterprise pedagogy; analysis of methods and impact of embedding enterprise.

• Articles

  • Watts CA, Hetherington R. . Research in Science Education 2025, 55, 205-229.
  • Hatt L, Nolan J, Watts C. . Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability 2024, 15(1), 1-20.
  • Watts CA, Wray K. . Education and Training 2012, 54(4), 259-277.
  • Watts CA, Wray K, Kennedy CMA, Freeman P, Trainer GH. . Industry and Higher Education 2010, 24(6), 487-494.
  • Dridge EJ, Watts CA, Jepson BJN, Line K, Santini JM, Richardson DJ, Butler CS. . Biochemical Journal 2007, 408(1), 19-28.
  • Ridley H, Watts CA, Richardson DJ, Butler CS. . Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2006, 72(8), 5173-5180.
  • Allenby NEE, Watts CA, Homuth G, Pragai Z, Wipat A, Ward AC, Harwood CR. . Journal of Bacteriology 2006, 188(14), 5299-5303.
  • Ridley H, Watts CA, Richardson DJ, Butler CS. . Analytical Biochemistry 2006, 358(2), 289-294.
  • Watts CA, Ridley H, Condie KL, Leaver JT, Richardson DJ, Butler CS. . FEMS Microbiology Letters 2003, 228(2), 273-279.
  • Watts C, Si-Hoe SM, Lamb HK, Levett LJ, Coggins JR, Hawkins AR. . Proteins: Structure, Function and Genetics 2002, 48(2), 161-168.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Watts C, Marshall L. . In: HEA Annual Conference. Generation TEF: Teaching in the Spotlight. 2017, Manchester, UK.
  • Lowe EC, Watts CA, Richardson DJ, Santini JM, Singleton I, Butler CS. . In: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, Bioenergetics: 14th European Bioenergetic Conference. 2006, Moscow, Russia: Elsevier BV.
  • Watts CA, Ridley H, Dridge EJ, Leaver JT, Reilly AJ, Richardson DJ, Butler CS. . In: 10th Nitrogen Cycle Meeting. 2004, University of East Anglia, Norwich: Biochemical Society Transactions: Portland Press Ltd.