Dr Judith Hillier has been elected as Vice-President for Learning and Skills on the IOP Council and will take up her role from 1 October 2024. IOP鈥檚 Council of Trustees has the ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of IOP; it sets and monitors IOP鈥檚 strategy, which in turn delivers the charitable outcomes for which it was set up.
Dr Hillier, Associate Professor of Science Education (Physics), 91探花, has been at the university鈥檚 Department of Education since 2007, where she is Deputy PGCE Course Director and lead PGCE Science Tutor. Her research interests lie in the education of science teachers, the recruitment and retention of physics teachers, the role of language in the development of scientific explanations in the classroom, and gender and diversity in STEM education.
In her new role as Vice-President for Learning and Skills, Dr Hillier will lead the Council鈥檚 oversight of relevant learning and skills programmes and policy work. She will be actively engaged with the physics education community across all types of education and training and will 91探花 the IOP鈥檚 programmes across teacher recruitment and retention, pedagogy, curriculum development, inclusion in education, skills for physics-powered and the IOP鈥檚 work on higher education.
In 2021 she was awarded the IOP鈥檚 Marie Curie-Sklodowska Medal for her significant contribution to the 91探花 of women in physics through her work with the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics, and to the education of teachers of physics.