Staff profile

I am an Associate Professor of Biosciences Education, with a disciplinary background in ecology and habitat restoration. My academic practice focuses on developing inclusive, engaging and evidence-informed Biosciences education, particularly in quantitative skills and R programming, active and field-based learning, scientific communication, widening participation and curriculum development.

My approach to education is grounded in my experience as a bioscientist and ecologist. This disciplinary foundation shapes how I design curricula and learning environments, develop students’ quantitative and scientific capabilities, and support their progression towards becoming confident and independent scientists.

Biosciences Education

A major focus of my educational work is the development of quantitative and computational skills within Biosciences curricula. I introduced R programming into undergraduate Research Skills teaching in 2018 and have since led the continued development of this provision, retaining responsibility for its teaching, structured learning resources and assessment.

My current work extends beyond individual modules to the progressive development of quantitative skills across undergraduate programmes. This includes introducing R earlier in the curriculum so that students can establish secure foundations in programming, data analysis and visualisation before progressing to more advanced applications. I am particularly interested in how quantitative education can support students with differing prior experiences, build confidence in working with data, and promote reproducible scientific practice.

My disciplinary background also informs my work in active, authentic and field-based learning. Within undergraduate Ecology teaching, I have developed and evaluated approaches combining field experience, student-led peer teaching and scientific communication. These approaches give students greater responsibility for their learning and require them to develop sufficient disciplinary understanding to explain scientific concepts and evidence to others. This work examines how active learning can develop independence, teamwork and communication while maintaining academic challenge, breadth of coverage and appropriate staff support.

Widening Participation and Inclusive Biosciences Education

I lead widening-participation activity within Biosciences, coordinating and contributing to programmes including Destination Durham, the Sutton Trust Summer Schools and Space to Explore Potential (STEP). These programmes enable prospective students from underrepresented backgrounds to experience university-level study. I also recruit, support and mentor colleagues and postgraduate students who contribute to this provision.

My work in widening participation extends beyond access to university itself. I am interested in how differences in students’ educational backgrounds and prior experiences influence their confidence, participation and success after entering higher education. This connects closely with my work in quantitative skills and inclusive curriculum design, particularly where unfamiliar scientific, mathematical or computational practices may create uneven barriers to participation.

My wider educational work focuses on programme-level curriculum development, coherence and progression. As Undergraduate Level 2 Lead, I work across modules and staff groups to support effective programme delivery and identify opportunities for curricular development. I am particularly concerned with how Biosciences programmes can integrate disciplinary knowledge with quantitative capability, scientific communication, field and practical experience, and increasing student independence.

My approach is applied and evidence-informed. I develop educational practice in response to disciplinary needs, evaluate its effectiveness, refine it through experience and feedback, and disseminate emerging practice within and beyond the University.

Ecology and Habitat Restoration

My disciplinary background is in ecology and habitat restoration, with particular expertise in peatland ecosystems, plant community ecology and the restoration of degraded habitats. Much of my research has focused on degraded blanket bogs in the Peak District and southern Pennines, particularly the ecological and biogeochemical factors influencing restoration and the recovery of Sphagnum mosses.

My work has included applied research with the Moors for the Future Partnership, examining both natural Sphagnum recovery and practical approaches to its reintroduction on severely degraded peatlands. The Partnership combines evidence development with the restoration and conservation of moorland habitats across the Peak District and South Pennines. Earlier work investigated the ecological consequences of moorland management, including prescribed burning, soil seed banks, biogeochemical change and the ecology of heather-dominated systems.

My research has also extended to landscape-scale approaches to habitat management, including the development of GIS-based hydrological modelling to identify opportunities for wetland restoration. This work reflects my broader interest in applying ecological evidence and quantitative methods to practical environmental decision-making.

This disciplinary expertise continues to inform my educational practice. Field ecology provides an important foundation for my work in active and field-based learning, while my experience of ecological data and quantitative analysis informs my approach to developing students’ statistical, computational and data-analysis skills.

Collaboration

I welcome opportunities to collaborate around:

• quantitative Biosciences education, particularly R programming, data analysis and the progressive development of quantitative skills across undergraduate curricula;
• active and authentic learning, including field-based and peer-led approaches that develop student independence and scientific communication; and
• widening participation and inclusive Biosciences education, particularly how differences in prior educational experience influence students’ confidence, participation and success in higher education.

Conference Paper

• The importance of atmospheric quality in determining upland vegetation
  
  Caporn, S., Rosenburgh, A., & Field, C. (2015). The importance of atmospheric quality in determining upland vegetation (R. Meade, Ed.). National Trust.

Doctoral Thesis

• Restoration and recovery of Sphagnum on degraded blanket bog
  
  Rosenburgh, A. (2015). Restoration and recovery of Sphagnum on degraded blanket bog [Thesis]. Manchester Metropolitan University. http://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/615952/1/Rosenburgh%20-%20complete%20thesis.pdf

Journal Article

• Post-16 students’ experience of practical science during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on students’ self-efficacy in practical work
  
  Cramman, H., Arenas, B., Awais, R., Balaban, C., Cropper, C., Dennis, F., Finch, K., Gray, H., Hall, A., Kitchen, G., Norman, K., O’Driscoll, L., Petts, P., Petri, S., Robson, J., Rosenburgh, A., Shields, L., Swift, G. P., & Vaughan, H. (2024). Post-16 students’ experience of practical science during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on students’ self-efficacy in practical work. Enhancing Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 2, 39-69. https://doi.org/10.62512/etlhe.14
• High-resolution wetness index mapping: A useful tool for regional scale wetland management
  
  Higginbottom, T. P., Field, C., Rosenburgh, A., Wright, A., Symeonakis, E., & Caporn, S. (2018). High-resolution wetness index mapping: A useful tool for regional scale wetland management. Ecological Informatics, 48, 89-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2018.08.003
• Sphagnum restoration on degraded blanket and raised bogs in the UK using micropropagated source material: a review of progress
  
  Caporn, S., Rosenburgh, A., Keightley, A., Hinde, S., Riggs, J., Buckler, M., & Wright, N. (2018). Sphagnum restoration on degraded blanket and raised bogs in the UK using micropropagated source material: a review of progress. Mires and Peat an Online Journal, 20: Growing Sphagnum, Article 9. https://doi.org/10.19189/map.2017.omb.306
• Change in propagule banks during prescribed burning: A tale of two contrasting moorlands
  
  Lee, H., Alday, J., Rosenburgh, A., Harris, M., McAllister, H., & Marrs, R. (2013). Change in propagule banks during prescribed burning: A tale of two contrasting moorlands. Biological Conservation, 165, 187-197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2013.05.023
• Changes in peat chemical properties during post-fire succession on blanket bog moorland
  
  Rosenburgh, A., Alday, J., Harris, M., Allen, K., Connor, L., Blackbird, S., Eyre, G., & Marrs, R. (2013). Changes in peat chemical properties during post-fire succession on blanket bog moorland. Geoderma, 211-212, 98-106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2013.07.012

Other (Digital/Visual Media)

• European soil seed bank communities across a climate and land-cover gradient.
  
  Plue, J., Van Calster, H., Auestad, I., Basto, S., Bekker, R. M., Bruun, H. H., Chevalier, R., Decocq, G., Hermy, M., Jacquemyn, H., Jakobsson, A., Kalamees, R., Marrs, R. H., Marteinsdóttir, B., Milberg, P., Pakeman, R. J., Phoenix, G., Thompson, K., Vandvik, V., … Auffret, A. G. (2022). European soil seed bank communities across a climate and land-cover gradient [Dataset]. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ksn02v72g

Report

• The heather beetle: a review
  
  Rosenburgh, A., & Marrs, R. (2010). The heather beetle: a review.
• Sphagnum re-introduction project: A report on research into the re-introduction of Sphagnum mosses to degraded moorland
  
  Hinde, S., Rosenburgh, A., Wright, N., Buckler, M., & Caporn, S. (2010). Sphagnum re-introduction project: A report on research into the re-introduction of Sphagnum mosses to degraded moorland.