Staff profile

Dr Pippa Coffer graduated from Durham with a MChem(Hons.) degree and then completed a Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr Keith Dillon on “Cyclic Triphosphenium Ions and Related Species”. Following this, she completed three years of post-doctoral research in related areas, and a six-month KTA position with Professor Karl Coleman. During her PhD she began teaching in the undergraduate laboratories and continued this, along with inorganic chemistry tutorials and workshops, in the following years which sparked her interest in Chemistry Education. 

Pippa continued her journey as an education-focussed member of staff at Durham first as a Teaching Fellow, then Assistant Professor, and in 2023 was promoted to Associate Professor. Along with several pastoral roles, Pippa was Deputy Chair of the Board of Examiners (2022-2023). In March 2023, she became the Director of Teaching in Chemistry. In this role she had oversight of the design, implementation and delivery of the academic side of the Chemistry curriculum. She also worked with the Director of Education and curriculum review working group on the redesign of our new Chemistry curriculum, finishing her tenure in July 2026.

Pippa is the head of the Enhancing Pedagogy in Chemistry (EPiC) group, and in 2025 she was selected to be a RE:PLAY fellow working as part of a three-year national project investigating the use of playful learning in Higher Education.

Chemical Education Projects

Pippa’s work has included the redevelopment of the undergraduate teaching laboratories including introducing more diverse and varied assessment methods in the laboratory course modules and developing enhanced digital learning materials. Recently she has led the complete re-design of all L2 and L3 Chemistry undergraduate laboratory modules, moving away from more traditional and separate ‘Inorganic,’ ‘Organic’ and ‘Physical’ Chemistry laboratory course modules to introduce new ‘Integrated’ laboratory course modules where student experience the interdisciplinary nature of Chemistry. Students are now being challenged with a full suite of pre-laboratory exercises, designed to prepare them for efficient learning in the laboratory, and supplemented by a programme of post-laboratory exercises including lab reports, quizzes, video presentations, poster presentations and interviews.

Pippa has also led the development of Transition and Skills (TaSk) weeks, held each year after the May/June examination period. TaSk weeks include a range of different activities and workshops designed to help students transition to their next year of study and develop key skills. She has also led development and implementation of pre-tutorial quizzes which provide consistent, timely feedback on tutorial questions to first year students studying chemistry. As part of her RE:PLAY fellowship, Pippa is currently investigating the use of playful learning in Chemistry laboratory course modules.

Scholarship and Research Interests

Pippa’s scholarship and research interests include the creation, implementation and evaluation of innovative, inclusive and authentic teaching and learning methods and assessment in Chemistry. Currently working on several different teaching and learning projects, including collaborations with other members of the Enhancing Pedagogy in Chemistry (EPiC) group, Pippa is working in the following areas:

Authentic and Diverse Assessment: Research into assessment methods that allow students to showcase their skills and knowledge in more modern, realistic ways, and moving away from more ‘traditional’ assessment methods.

Development of Skills: Investigating the effectiveness of skills training and the development of manipulative, procedural and general laboratory skills, along with transferrable ‘soft’ skills.

Digital learning: Developing innovative digital resources to promoting learning and build confidence along with subject knowledge including development of new educational resources.

Feedback Methods: Developing feedback and feedforward methods that are modern and timely, and evaluating their effectiveness.

Inclusive Teaching and Learning: Developing and implementing teaching and learning methods that are inclusive and beneficial to all students and teaching staff.

Playful Learning: Developing, introducing and evaluating playful approaches to teaching chemistry to enhance student learning and engagement. This includes gamification, hybrid-play, role play and the use of simulations.

Skills Mapping and Tracking: Developing digital maps and other methods for tracking skills to allow easy monitoring of skills development throughout specific modules, and our chemistry degrees.

Supporting Students’ Learning Throughout their Degree: Developing and evaluating the effectiveness of activities used to help support students as they transition between different years of study.

Journal Article

• Coordination properties of a 2-aryl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane
  
  Coffer, P. K., Dillon, K. B., Howard, J. A., Probert, M. R., & Shepherd, H. J. (2018). Coordination properties of a 2-aryl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane. Inorganica Chimica Acta, 479, 24-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ica.2018.04.030
• Write on the edge: using a chemistry corpus to develop academic writing skills resources for undergraduate chemists
  
  Bruce, M., Coffer, P., Rees, S., & Robson, J. (2016). Write on the edge: using a chemistry corpus to develop academic writing skills resources for undergraduate chemists. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 17, 580-589. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6rp00005c
• Cyclic triphosphenium ions and related species
  
  Coffer (née Monks), P. K., & Dillon, K. B. (2013). Cyclic triphosphenium ions and related species. Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 257(5-6), 910-923. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccr.2012.08.006
• Synthesis and characterisation of selected group 14 derivatives of the 2,5-(CF3)2C6H3 (Ar) ligand
  
  Coffer, P. K., Dillon, K. B., Howard, J. A. K., Yufit, D. S., & Zorina, N. V. (2012). Synthesis and characterisation of selected group 14 derivatives of the 2,5-(CF3)2C6H3 (Ar) ligand. Dalton Transactions, 41(15), 4460-4468. https://doi.org/10.1039/c2dt12369j
• The relative stabilities of cyclic dicationic derivatives of diphosphanes with three (3P) or four (4P) linked phosphorus atoms
  
  Bashforth, R., Boyall, A. J., Coffer (née Monks), P. K., Dillon, K. B., Goeta, A. E., Howard, J. A. K., Kenwright, A. M., Probert, M. R., Shepherd, H. J., & Thompson, A. L. (2012). The relative stabilities of cyclic dicationic derivatives of diphosphanes with three (3P) or four (4P) linked phosphorus atoms. Dalton Transactions, 41(4), 1165-1172. https://doi.org/10.1039/c1dt11549a
• Platinum(II) Complexes of Cyclic Triphosphenium Ions: a P-31 NMR Spectroscopic and Computational Study
  
  Coffer (nee Monks), P. K., Deng, R. M., Dillon, K. B., Fox, M. A., & Olivey, R. J. (2012). Platinum(II) Complexes of Cyclic Triphosphenium Ions: a P-31 NMR Spectroscopic and Computational Study. Inorganic Chemistry, 51(18), 9799-9808. https://doi.org/10.1021/ic3011663
• Formation of new larger ring cyclic triphosphenium ions in solution – A 31P NMR study
  
  Bashforth, R., Boyall, A. J., Dillon, K. B., Monks, P. K., & Potts, J. C. (2011). Formation of new larger ring cyclic triphosphenium ions in solution – A 31P NMR study. Inorganica Chimica Acta, 376(1), 325-331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ica.2011.06.044
• A dynamic disorder-linked reversible phase transition in a new chloroform solvate ofcis-dichloridobis(triethylphosphane)platinum(II)
  
  Dillon, K. B., Howard, J. A. K., Monks, P. K., Probert, M. R., & Shepherd, H. J. (2011). A dynamic disorder-linked reversible phase transition in a new chloroform solvate ofcis-dichloridobis(triethylphosphane)platinum(II). Acta Crystallographica Section C Crystal Structure Communications, C67(4), m111-m114. https://doi.org/10.1107/s0108270111008353
• Stereochemically inactive lone pairs in phosphorus(iii) compounds: the characterisation of some derivatives with the 2,5-(CF3)2C6H3 (Ar) substituent and their complexation behaviour towards Pt(ii) species
  
  Capel, V. L., Dillon, K. B., Goeta, A. E., Howard, J. A. K., Monks, P. K., Probert, M. R., Shepherd, H. J., & Zorina, N. V. (2011). Stereochemically inactive lone pairs in phosphorus(iii) compounds: the characterisation of some derivatives with the 2,5-(CF3)2C6H3 (Ar) substituent and their complexation behaviour towards Pt(ii) species. Dalton Transactions, 40(8), 1808-1816. https://doi.org/10.1039/c0dt01313g
• The molecular structure of a 2-aryl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane and its coordination behaviour towards platinum(II) species; molecular structures of four platinum(II) complexes
  
  Dillon, K. B., Goeta, A. E., Monks, P. K., & Shepherd, H. J. (2010). The molecular structure of a 2-aryl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane and its coordination behaviour towards platinum(II) species; molecular structures of four platinum(II) complexes. Polyhedron, 29(1), 606-612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poly.2009.07.040
• Hydrogen bonding and short contacts in [2,4,6-tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]phosphinic acid
  
  Cornet, S. M., Dillon, K. B., Howard, J. A. K., Monks, P. K., & Thompson, A. L. (2009). Hydrogen bonding and short contacts in [2,4,6-tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]phosphinic acid. Acta Crystallographica Section C Crystal Structure Communications, C65(5), o195-o197. https://doi.org/10.1107/s0108270109010415
• Crystal and Molecular Structures of Some Six-Coordinate Tin(IV) Halogeno Complexes with Phosphorus-Containing Ligands
  
  Batsanov, A. S., Deng, R. M., Dillon, K. B., Goeta, A. E., Howard, J. A., Meldrum, J., Monks, P. K., Puschmann, H., & Shepherd, H. J. (2009). Crystal and Molecular Structures of Some Six-Coordinate Tin(IV) Halogeno Complexes with Phosphorus-Containing Ligands. HETEROATOM CHEMISTRY, 20(3), 136-143. https://doi.org/10.1002/hc.20525
• Alkyl and aryl dicationic derivatives of cyclic triphosphenium ions
  
  Dillon, K. B., Goeta, A. E., Howard, J. A. K., Monks, P. K., Shepherd, H. J., & Thompson, A. L. (2008). Alkyl and aryl dicationic derivatives of cyclic triphosphenium ions. Dalton Transactions, 37(9), 1144-1149. https://doi.org/10.1039/b716027e
• Reaction of a cyclic triphosphenium ion with triflic acid and SnX2 (X = Br or Cl): A 31P NMR study
  
  Boyall, A. J., Dillon, K. B., Monks, P. K., & Potts, J. C. (2007). Reaction of a cyclic triphosphenium ion with triflic acid and SnX2 (X = Br or Cl): A 31P NMR study. Heteroatom Chemistry, 18(6), 609-612. https://doi.org/10.1002/hc.20302
• The mechanism of formation of cyclic triphosphenium ions; detection of transient intermediates in solution
  
  Dillon, K., & Monks, P. (2007). The mechanism of formation of cyclic triphosphenium ions; detection of transient intermediates in solution. Dalton Transactions, 2007(14), 1420-1424. https://doi.org/10.1039/b617935e
• Novel (n + 1 + 1) cycloaddition reactions; the formation of cyclic tetraphosphonium dications with four linked phosphorus atoms and an organic backbone
  
  Boyall, A. J., Dillon, K. B., Howard, J. A. K., Monks, P. K., & Thompson, A. L. (2007). Novel (n + 1 + 1) cycloaddition reactions; the formation of cyclic tetraphosphonium dications with four linked phosphorus atoms and an organic backbone. Dalton Transactions, 36(14), 1374-1376. https://doi.org/10.1039/b618157k
• Protonation of some cyclic triphosphenium ions
  
  Burton, J. D., Deng, R. M. K., Dillon, K. B., Monks, P. K., & J. Olivey, R. (2005). Protonation of some cyclic triphosphenium ions. Heteroatom Chemistry, 16(5), 447-452. https://doi.org/10.1002/hc.20124