Complex Systems Toolkit: Launch webinar

Dr. Stuart Grey SFHEA is Senior Lecturer in Engineering Systems Design at the University of Glasgow. After starting a career in nuclear-safety analysis, he completed a PhD in orbital mechanics and developed high-fidelity force models now used on ESA and GPS missions. His current research applies AI to systems-engineering problems and to interactive learning tools that strengthen ethical reasoning. Stuart leads curriculum redesign projects that embed inclusive assessment and complex-systems thinking, and he serves as External Examiner for Aerospace Engineering at the University of Manchester.

Dr. Nikita Hari is the Head of the Teaching and Research Design Support Group at the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, where she oversees practical engineering education for the department. A multi-award-winning engineer, she was inducted into the UK Young Academy in 2024, listed in Engineers Making a Difference book by Imperial College London, recognised among the Top 50 Women in Engineering (WES UK, 2017), and named a Clinton Global Changemaker (2018). She holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cambridge and the Faculty for Future Postdoctoral Fellowship at Oxford. As co-chair of the Complex Systems Toolkit Working Group, Dr. Hari brings her experience in systems thinking and interdisciplinary research to advance educational strategies that address complex, socio-technical engineering challenges. She has co-founded two Edtech companies and served in key leadership roles, including CTO and COO, to drive innovation and inclusivity at the intersection of engineering, education, and entrepreneurship. A TEDx speaker and STEM advocate, Dr. Hari is dedicated to uplifting marginalised voices, especially women in STEM, and inspiring future change-makers to engineer a sustainable future.

Sarah Jayne Hitt, Ph.D. SFHEA specialises in the integration of the arts, humanities and social sciences within engineering education, especially focussing on ethics and communication. She has served as project manager for the EPC’s Ethics, Sustainability, and Complex Systems Toolkit initiatives, is Transferable Skills Lead for the Centre for Advanced Timber Technology at NMITE and is Visiting Professor in the School of Computing, Engineering, and the Built Environment at Edinburgh Napier University. She has led national and international workshops on interdisciplinary learning and teaching and worked with academic and industry partners on various engineering education initiatives. She has recent publications in the International Journal of Engineering Education and The Journal of Problem-Based Learning in Higher Education.

Mariam is a graduate of the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge and is currently stationed as Assistant Professor at the School of Engineering at New Giza University. She is an experienced educational consultant who has been engaged in a number of projects with Cambridge Partnerships for Education in Europe and the Middle East, including work in the UAE and Qatar. She has worked on curriculum mapping, curriculum reviews and full-scale system reviews. Mariam has a wealth of experience in education including academic teaching roles and academic review. Together with the Engineering Professors' Council she has been involved in mapping the T levels mathematics curriculum against expectations of different Higher Education stakeholders across the United Kingdom.

Peter Martin is a robotics and engineering education specialist who has been a member of the Quanser R&D team for over thirteen years. As Director of R&D, Peter is responsible for ensuring that Quanser’s vision and strategy continues a legacy of world-leading innovative and academically aligned products and services. Before taking on the role of director, Peter was responsible for managing the Academic Applications team, and the development of several notable ground-breaking products focused on diverse markets from robotics and mechatronics, to educational platforms and tools.

As well as his role with the EPC, Johnny Rich is well known across the higher education sector as a high-profile commentator on policy issues as well as the chief executive of student advice and outreach organisation Push, as a consultant working in education and careers, and as an author. Before joining the EPC, Johnny has already worked on many issues of concern to our members. Over the past 25 years, he led Push’s research – such as on drop-out rates and student debt – which has had direct impacts on policy. Johnny’s thought leadership, such as his papers for a graduate levy and a national access fund (2018) and on employability (2015) for the Higher Education Policy Institute, have been influential throughout the sector. Policy issues are also a significant part of his consultancy work, along with communications. His clients have included the European Commission, HEFCE, U-Multirank, as well as many universities, recruiters and charities. He’s a regular speaker at conferences, awards and in schools. In 2013, his novel A Human Script was published.

Dr. Rhythima Shinde is a sustainability advisor and interdisciplinary researcher with expertise in complex systems, environmental policy, and engineering design education. She holds a PhD from ETH Zurich and two MSc degrees from TU Delft, and previously served as an Assistant Professor at TEDI-London. There, she led global modules on Smart Cities and infrastructure resilience, partnering with universities and industry across the UK, Australia, and Switzerland. Her work integrates systems thinking, data science, and sustainability in the built environment. Rhythima has collaborated with the Royal Academy of Engineering on systems thinking education and assessment and co-founded Energy Bazaar, a decentralised clean energy trading platform for rural India.

Scott M. Strachan received B.Eng. (Hons.) and Ph.D. degrees in 1995 and 2005 from the University of Strathclyde. Since his appointment within the Institute of Energy and Environment (Inst EE) in 1997, he has conducted numerous research projects with leading UK energy companies, mainly focusing on the areas of plant condition monitoring, asset management, data mining, knowledge management and engineering, and intelligent systems applications for power systems. He has been active in the universal energy access research (SDG7) since 2006. He was a founder of the Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) Department’s staff/student outreach Gambia Solar Project and Tamil Nadu Solar Project; designing and installing off-grid solar PV systems to rural schools and health clinics. He is Co-Director of the Vertically Integrated Project for Sustainable Development programme (winner of the 2019 International Green Gown Award for Student Engagement and 2020 AASHE Award for Campus Sustainability Research). He is also Education for Sustainable Development lead in the University’s Centre for Sustainable Development and Co-Convenor of the ESD Topic Support Network for Learning for Sustainability Scotland, a UN Regional Centre of Expertise. Scott is Associate Dean Learning Enhancement for the Engineering Faculty, leading on the mainstreaming of ESD, EDI and Enterprise and Entrepreneurship in the curriculum. also Chairs the University’s ESD Working Group and Strathclyde Climate Ambassadors’ Networks (StrathCAN), which won the 2022 UK & Ireland Green Gown Award for Student Engagement with Climate Education workshops. He was also previously part of the working group for the EPC's Sustainability Toolkit.

Natalie Wint is a lecturer within the Department for Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) at University College London (UCL). She has experience in transdisciplinary teaching, quality assurance and curriculum design/ review and research into professional skills and the differences between engineering practice and education.