Gillian Thomson

I graduated with a degree in Pure and Applied Chemistry in 1992 from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, during which time I undertook an industrial placement at Hannah Research Institute (Ayr, Scotland), investigating the effect of processing conditions on the whitening power of dairy formulated emulsions for tea/coffee, sponsored by the Klix Division of the Mars Group. I then accepted a PhD studentship, sponsored by DuPont (Wilmington, USA), to work at Strathclyde with Prof. Kevin Roberts, in collaboration with Keele University (Dr. Robert A. Jackson). The resultant PhD thesis, "Predicting the Solid-state and Surface Properties of a range of Alkali Salts containing Molecular Anions" was awarded in 1997.

I have worked at Heriot-Watt since 1998 and have been involved in teaching various aspects of chemical engineering at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, including environmental science and sustainability.   At this time my research interests focused on the application of computer simulation to investigate crystallisation, solid-state and surface processes in engineering applications. Fields of application included pharmaceutical materials processing, oilfield-scale applications, and dyes and pigments.

Over this time, I held a number of department roles and following a period as Head of Chemical Engineering Teaching, I spent two years as Director of Academic Quality in the School of Engineering & Physical Sciences before being appointed as Director of Learning & Teaching in 2016, a post which I held for 7 years. 

My key enthusiasm is inspiring student learning. Students are encouraged to form their own opinion on current thinking, in a constantly evolving field. The aim is to foster independent learning alongside an ability to apply this learning, encouraging collaboration within the class to inspire greater interest in the topic, but also encourage the students to take responsibility and accountability for the wider implications of their engineering decisions.

My scholarship activities are focused on the development of teaching sustainability in Higher Education, specifically to engineers, incorporating how current thinking can be applied and adapted in a practical sense. My expertise has had considerable impact within the university and across the sector, as evidenced in national and international conference presentations, publications and learning enhancement projects. 

Work has impacted markedly on scholarship and the student learning experience in areas such as the development of graduate attributes and enhancement of learning through the development of ”learning through doing” approaches, and leadership of University-wide projects including the chairing the academic group who led on the development of seven academic programmes for our Graduate Apprenticeships provision.

I've been interested in widening access and participation throughout my career at Heriot-Watt. This initially included work within my discipline to encourage young people to get involved in engineering and widened out to many outreach projects promoting STEM subjects, including working at the Edinburgh Science Festival, and more bespoke workshops for school groups, young person’s organisations and charities.

In January 2020, I was appointed as the Associate Principal (Access & Inclusion). My AP role supports the Deputy Principal (Education and Student Life) in the delivery of our A&I strategy where the intention is to encompass access, inclusivity, and participation in the widest possible sense, focusing, not merely on numbers, but on the support and success of all of our students, whatever pathway they choose to follow. This includes work on raising aspirations, inclusive recruitment processes and supporting student success through initiatives such as our Maths Gym.

I am a Chartered Scientist and an Associate Member of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. I was one of the first two staff in the university to gain Principal Fellow with AdvanceHE (awarded October 2021). In 2024, I was awarded Affiliate Level as part of the Developing Access and Participation Professionals (DAPP) Accreditation Scheme.

I have been a reviewer for QAA(Scotland) since 2018 and have undertaken several reviews through ELIR4, QESR and TQER.