Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice Principal for Learning and Teaching recognised in the New Year Honours
Edinburgh Napier’s Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice Principal for Learning and Teaching has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list 2022.
Professor Nazira Karodia was recognised for her contribution to the chemical sciences.
Nazira, who joined us from the University of Wolverhampton in September, has had an academic career spanning more than 20 years in chemistry, STEM education and university leadership. She is a national leader in inclusive curriculum, extending university opportunity and attracting students from marginalised communities.
At Edinburgh Napier, Nazira has responsibility for strategic leadership in all the areas of learning and teaching, ensuring we provide an unrivalled teaching and learning experience for our students.
Nazira said today: "I am honoured and delighted that the efforts to build a more inclusive education system are being recognised in this way.
“Throughout my working life I have been committed to increasing education standards and opportunities for a greater diversity of students with a hope for a more equitable and sustainable future.”
Nazira, whose research interests are in green chemistry, medicinal chemistry, progressive pedagogy, education and social inclusion and university leadership, studied chemistry in South Africa and completed her PhD at the University of St Andrews.
After post-doctoral posts at the University of Florida and at St Andrews, she held a range of academic roles at the University of Bradford and later headed its STEM Programme.
She moved to the University of Wolverhampton to be Professor in Science Education, becoming the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering and then Pro Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for leading on the Knowledge Exchange Framework and Concordat, employability, and regional engagement.
Nazira received a commendation from the National Educational Opportunities Network (NEON) in 2015 for Outstanding Contribution to Widening Access.
She was also selected as one of the 175 Faces of Chemistry to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2016, and sits on the organisation’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee.
Nazira is heavily committed to working against inequality, telling one interviewer: “It's not enough to raise the aspirations and hopes of young people if employers and society still have a narrow vision of the kind of employees they want. Another challenge is to change mindsets so that employers see diverse people as having equal potential.
“I believe that, by creating a more diverse student group, followed by a more diverse workforce, deeply ingrained societal prejudices will be challenged and ultimately disappear.”
Three of our six Schools – The Business School, School of Arts & Creative Industries and School of Applied Sciences – report into Nazira, along with the Department of Learning & Teaching Enhancement.