Dr Anna Kirkham

Anna joined UCLan in November 2014. Her research interests are in analytical forensic chemistry, inorganic chemistry (coordination of polyhydroxycarboxylate ligands), assessment and the use of technology in learning for forensic chemistry. She has presented at Variety in Chemistry Education, Enhancing Student Learning Through Innovative Scholarship Conference and Irish Variety in Chemistry Education. She has presented posters at Variety in Chemistry Education, Methods in Chemistry Education Research, European Variety in University Chemistry Education and CLEAR Lab Symposium. In 2018, Anna received a Teacher Researcher Fellowship from the RSC Chemical Education Research Group.

Anna graduated from the University of Manchester with an MChem Chemistry and she was awarded The John Salthouse Prize for Inorganic Chemistry. Her 4th Year Project title was “Synthesis and characterisation of thiabendazole transition metal complexes” and her 3rd Year project title was “Synthesis of low spin cobalt(III) clusters doped with chromium(III) and EPR characterisation”. Anna remained at the University of Manchester for her PhD, her Thesis title was “Uranyl coordination to environmentally relevant polyhydroxycarboxylate ligands”. Anna then completed a PGCE Post Compulsory Education and Training, Chemistry at Edge Hill University, QTLS (IfL/ SET) and she taught in a Further Education College in West Yorkshire. Where she was Chemistry A level coordinator and contributed to teaching of GCSE Science, BTEC Extended Diploma in Applied Science and Access to HE. Building on her FE links Anna is still involved with Access to Higher Education, as a reviewer and external moderator; A level and GCSE Chemistry, as an examiner and with Pearson BTEC, as a standards verifier and team leader for Applied Science and Forensic Science.