ASBMB

EDUCATION SIG COMMITTEE
Please click on the committee member name to view their biography.

Chair: Associate Professor Amber Willems-Jones

Deputy Chair: Dr Matthew Clemson

IUBMB Representative: Professor Tracey Kuit

FAOBMB Representative: Associate Professor Nirma Samarawickrema

Member: Associate Professor Maurizio Costabile

Member: Dr James Tsatsaronis

Member: Dr Jessica Gibbons

Member: Dr Alyssa Van Dreumel

Associate Professor Amber Willems-Jones

PhD GCUT, SFHEA
Associate Professor (Education Focussed),
Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology,
Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne

Contact: amber.willems@unimelb.edu.au

Amber is the Chair of the Education Special Interest Group of the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) and Chair of the School of Biomedical Sciences Education Research Group. Amber coordinates the 2nd year biochemistry & molecular biology practical subject, Techniques in Molecular Science, and co-coordinates the 1st year Exploring Biomedicine subject.

Amber is an Education Focussed Academic in the Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology within the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Melbourne. Amber is the coordinator for the 2nd-year biochemistry & molecular biology practical subject, Techniques in Molecular Science, and co-coordinator for the 1st-year subject, Exploring Biomedicine. Amber is the Chair of the Education Special Interest Group of the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). Amber’s teaching interests centre on the design of authentic assessment and inquiry-based learning activities that support experimental reasoning, scientific communication, and the development of quantitative literacy in applied biomedical science subjects. Her education research focuses on promoting self-regulated learning, assessment literacy, and student engagement through curriculum and assessment design. Amber has been recognised for her excellence in teaching and learning through several teaching awards at the University of Melbourne, as well as ASBMB, reflecting her passion for education.

Dr Matthew Clemson

PhD, SFHEA
Senior Lecturer in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology
(Education-focused), Deputy Associate Head Education, SOLES, The University of Sydney

Contact: matthew.clemson@sydney.edu.au

Dr Matthew Clemson is the Deputy Chair of the ASBMB Education SIG and a member of the Australian Biochemist Editorial Committee, contributing to the planning and delivery of national workshops, symposia, and conferences focused on advancing effective educational practice within the discipline.

He coordinates large undergraduate courses serving more than 1,200 students annually and has established a national reputation for evidence-based innovation in biochemistry and molecular biology education. His work spans curriculum design, AI-assisted learning tools, and the mentoring of early-career educators. He is the recipient of the 2024 Faculty of Science Award for Student Experience Excellence and the 2026 SDR Scientific Education Award (ASBMB), which recognises outstanding achievement and creativity in discipline-based education. He has presented at national and international forums on the design of AI agents for student learning, and his research in the scholarship of teaching and learning informs both his own practice and the professional development of colleagues across the institution. He has recently developed a Socratic AI-double of himself “Dr MattTabolism” who is enormously popular with students.

Professor Tracey Kuit

PhD MEd, SFHEA
Professor (Education Focussed), School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences,
Faculty of Science, The University of New South Wales, Sydney

Contact: t.kuit@unsw.edu.au

Tracey is a passionate educator and an active mentor in all facets of learning and teaching in Higher Education. Tracey is the past Chair of the Education SIG of the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) and a member of the Education Committee for the Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB). Tracey is also a member of the Education and Executive Committees of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) and on the Editorial Board for the journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education (BaMBEd). Tracey is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE, UK) and has been honoured with multiple prestigious awards, including the 2025 FAOBMB Education Award and the 2024 Australian Award for University Teaching in Science, reflecting her sustained excellence and impact in tertiary science education. Her work is grounded in inclusive, research-informed pedagogy, with a strong focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), authentic assessment, interdisciplinary collaboration and embedding societal challenges into teaching.

Associate Professor Nirma Samarawickrema

PhD, SFHEA FHERDSA
Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
Biomedical Discovery Institute, Monash University.

Contact: nirma.samarawickrema@monash.edu

Nirma is a teaching focused academic who teaches Biochemistry across several undergraduate programs and co-leads the department’s undergraduate teaching. She contributes extensively to curriculum design, active learning, assessment innovation and practical skills development, while mentoring colleagues and shaping their professional growth. Her leadership extends nationally and internationally through her roles as Chair Education in the FAOBMB, member of the IUBMB Education Committee and HERDSA, where she drives education initiatives and supports fellowship applicants. She is recognised as a Fellow of HERDSA, a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, and recipient of education awards from ASBMB (2020) and FAOBMB (2022).

Associate Professor Maurizio Costabile

PhD
Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Immunology Education
School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, College of Health
Adelaide University

Contact: maurizio.costabile@adelaide.edu.au

I have taught Biochemistry and Immunology since 1998 and my students are 2nd year students enrolled in Laboratory Medicine, Biomedical Science, Nutrition and Food Science and Pharmaceutical Science. My teaching approach is based on the scientific method, where I identify issues, develop an approach, evaluate its impact on student learning and then disseminate the results.My research focusses on interactive simulations in teaching practical and lecture-based concepts, using free programs and more recently with AI coded applications. All my simulations have significantly improved student performance, with a modest time investment (15-30 min). These simulations have been adopted by local, national and international colleagues. The impact of my teaching has been recognised with multiple local, national and international teaching awards. I am keen to explore and develop collaborations with like-minded teaching academics.

Dr James Tsatsaronis

PhD MEd, FHEA
Lecturer (Education-focussed), School of Life and Environmental Sciences,
Faculty of Science, University of Sydney.

Contact: james.tsatsaronis@sydney.edu.au

James has taught biochemistry and molecular biology across 3 institutions to a range of undergraduate and graduate levels. In particular, he is passionate about breaking down barriers between students and educators through building supportive and inclusive learning environments. In addition to the ASBMB Education SIG, he is an active member of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ASCILITE) and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). In the ASBMB Education SIG, James helps administrate the Education SIG website and LinkedIn group.

As an educational researcher, he is interested in the role technology plays in shaping student learning in molecular bioscience. Recent technological advances have greatly improved our ability to visualise and interact with models of cells, molecules and other three-dimensional structures through different formats such as 3D printed models and in VR. Generative AI as a technology in particular poses both challenges but also opportunities for creating interactive and dynamic learning experiences in physical and online class settings. He routinely experiments with emerging technologies to see how these might impact pedagogy, learning and the student experience.

Dr Jessica Gibbons

PhD
Senior Lecturer (Education-focussed), School of Biomedical Sciences,
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University.

Contact: jessica.gibbons@monash.edu

Jessica teaches Molecular Biology and Biochemistry to undergraduate students and is the Deputy Director for the Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Monash University. In this role, Jessica has implemented innovative, authentic experiences within the molecular biology and biochemistry units of the course. Jessica is passionate about leading programmatic teaching and learning, assessment transformation and educational excellence. She is dedicated to transferable skill development, particularly communication and critical thinking, in small group teaching environments such as laboratory classes and workshops, conducting research in this space. In the ASBMB Education SIG, Jessica contributes to the facilitation of the Mentoring program.

Dr Alyssa Van Dreumel

PhD, FHEA
Senior Lecturer (Education-focussed), International Program Coordinator
School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia

Contact: alyssa.vandreumel@uwa.edu.au

Alyssa has a research background in biomedical diagnostics, with experience in ELISA‑based assays, protein and antibody production, and protein analysis. She joined the University of Western Australia in 2018 following an Associate Lecturer position at Deakin University. With over a decade of tertiary teaching experience across biochemistry, molecular biology and physiology, she coordinates teaching across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, serves as Biochemistry Major Coordinator, and is International Program Coordinator for the WESTA College joint program. Her teaching and scholarship focus on laboratory education, internationalised curricula, and the digital transformation of learning, informed by SoTL examining active learning and flexible engagement. She co‑won UWA’s 2024 Award for Excellence and Innovation in Learning and Teaching (Digital Transformation: LabArchives ELN).

Colleagues seeking support are encouraged to connect with Alyssa to develop COIL and internationalised learning initiatives, advance laboratory skills including ELNs and data management, or collaborate in SoTL focused on student engagement, global competencies, and professional digital skills for science graduates.