Student Services Centre

About the Student Services Centre

The Student Services Centre was opened in April 2013 and is situated on Level 2 of the Chemistry Department. The glass-fronted area is decorated with some transparencies depicting important molecules first synthesised within the Department. Alongside the help you can expect to receive from the staff of the Centre we also have some modelling kits available for short term loan.

Who will you find at the Student Services Centre?

The Student Services Centre is a one-stop shop for all queries about undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The Centre is open Monday – Friday 9 am until 5 pm. Below you can find a little about the team in the Student Services Centre and how they can help you. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Professor Don Craig

Prof Don CraigDirector of Undergraduate Studies

My name is Don Craig and I’m a Professor of Organic Chemistry and Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS). The DUGS role encompasses both operational and strategic management of the department’s undergraduate programmes, so it’s a substantive job that involves working with a wide variety of people including fellow academics, administrative staff, technicians, alumni, employers and of course our current students to make sure Imperial Chemistry courses are both challenging, stimulating and enjoyable and provide the best preparation for both further study and future employment.

Amelia Barron

Photo of Student Experience OfficerHead of Pastoral Care and the Student Experience

I am here to ensure you enjoy every aspect of your course and receive support if required. I am responsible for the development and delivery of all aspects of the pastoral structure and care given to our undergraduate students in the department. I act as a point of primary pastoral care for students and can give you advice on how to access support if required. I also oversee the academic support structure for our undergraduates and work closely with the DUGS to aid with strategic planning for teaching. I am available at any point for a chat or to help with any worries you may have regarding your wellbeing or for academic issues. My door is always open so please do come and introduce yourself.

Dr Laura Patel

Principal Teaching Fellow (inorganic chemistry)Laura Patel

As a Teaching Fellow, I develop novel teaching materials and methods, and implement these across a wide range of courses to enhance the Department’s teaching provision. I teach theory and practical technique to undergraduate Chemistry students through lectures, tutorials and laboratory courses, and also supervise undergraduate students carrying out research projects in chemical education.

As Exams Officer, I work closely Raj Sandhu, Admissions and Exams Administrator, to communicate information about exams and other assessment procedures to all students, to ensure examinations and marking processes run smoothly, and to return results to students. I manage exam-related student difficulties or unusual circumstances, and collate final sets of marks for departmental and external review. I also coordinate review of cohort exam performances, exam board decisions and development of exams and assessment processes. If you have a query or problem relating to taking your exams or to your results, please feel free to come and see me.

Dr Simon Gerrard

Senior Teaching Fellow (organic chemistry) and UG Admissions Tutor

SimonGeI am a senior teaching fellow in the organic teaching section, with a particular passion for bioorganic and medicinal chemistry. I really like the drug development process, and application of chemistry to understand what happens in biological systems. My role encompasses a range of teaching activities, including lecturing, personal tutoring, workshops/problem classes, tutorials and synthesis laboratory demonstration and assessment. I try to enhance my teaching and student learning experience with a variety of different techniques, activities and support, to engage with different students’ styles of learning and educational background. 

I am also the UG Admissions Tutor, responsible for student recruitment in the department. I work with Raj Sandhu, Admissions and Exams Administrator, to organise and run student recruitment events and manage the UCAS admissions cycle. This involves attracting students to apply, making decisions on applications, answering questions from prospective students and ensuring they all have the information they need at each step.

Dr João Pedro Malhado

Senior Teaching Fellow (physical and computational chemistry)

As a teaching fellow, my duties are to teach physical chemistry across the undergraduate programs offered by the department. More specifically, I am also responsible for the development of teaching material in scientific computing, computational chemistry and computer programming.

Working in close contact with Prof. John Seddon and Prof. Don Craig, I am also involved in the development and improvement of the curriculum of the Chemistry with Molecular Physics degree.

 Raj Sandhu

Undergraduate Education Manager Raj Sandhu

I am responsible for ensuring the efficient administration of all aspects of UG Admissions and UG examinations within the Chemistry Department. I assist the admissions tutor in all aspects of the admissions cycle from receipt of applications through to acceptance of first year students. Additionally, I also work with the exams officer and I am responsible for ensuring the efficient administration, coordination and running of examinations.