Dr Liz Hurrell
Senior Lecturer
Profile
Biography
Liz is a Senior Lecturer in Physical Geographer in the Department of Environment and Geography at York and an Associate Lecturer for the Open University. She is currently Programme Lead and an admissions tutor for York’s BSc in Physical Geography and Environment Programme. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Liz’s publications can be found via ORCiD.
Liz has a passion for Geography Higher Education with interests in climate education, equality, diversity and inclusion, hybrid/online education as well as fieldwork. During the pandemic she actively worked on the Virtual Palaeoscience Project: a communities of practice project aimed at bringing the palaeoscience community together to support the rapid transition to remote teaching and learning. In 2021/22 she was CO-I on the NERC-funded CULTIVATE project which has created a repository of information, experience and resources to support equality, diversity and inclusion in field education. Since 2023, Liz has been collaborating with Salford University and V.N. Karazin, Kharkiv University to support the continuation of field education during the war in Ukraine. In 2024, Liz became the Education Officer for the Royal Geographical Society, Geography and Education Research Group committee.
At the University of York, Liz is currently module lead for “Climate change: mitigation and adaptation” and “Tackling Britain’s Environmental Challenges (field module)”. Both modules have a strong focus on integrating and applying multidisciplinary perspectives to the current environmental challenges. In both modules Liz focuses on participatory and student-centred learning approaches, with sessions aimed at engaging and enthusing students in topical and challenging issues. The field module is a run as a role-playing exercise with students acting as consultants advising a real-life partner. Liz co-designed, and teaches on, our MSc Environmental Sustainability Education and Communication programme. She also teaches on Water Environments and Climate Science and Policy modules.
Career
| Year | Position | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2023– present | Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography | University of York |
| 2014–present | Associate Lecturer in Environmental Science | Open University |
| 2021– 2023 | Associate Lecturer in Physical Geography | University of York |
| 2018–2021 | Lecturer in Environmental Science | University of Central Lancashire |
| 2014–2018 | Learning Developer | Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University |
| 2011–2014 | Maternity leave (x 2) plus delivering hourly paid undergraduate tutorials | LEC, Lancaster University |
| 2009–2011 | Research Development Programme Coordinator | Faculty of Science and Technology, Lancaster University |
| 2006–2009 | PhD: “Climate change and biogeochemical cycles on East African mountains revealed by stable isotopes of diatom frustules” Graduate teaching assistant |
LEC, Lancaster University |
| 2003– 2006 | BSc Physical Geography (1st class, hons) | LEC, Lancaster University |
Research
Overview
Liz’s research background is in reconstructing past environments. During her PhD (Lancaster University) she utilised isotopes (carbon and oxygen) from lake sediments to reconstruct changes in climate and carbon cycling on two East African mountains: Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro.
In 2019, she was awarded RGS funding to explore contemporary eDNA signatures in lake sediments to better understand the transportation, deposition and preservation of DNA in the sedimentary record, although the project was impacted somewhat by the pandemic.
Between her PhD and her first lecturing role (in 2018), Liz took a break from research to focus on raising her two young children (but maintained fractional teaching contracts). Liz’s project work now focuses on scholarship of teaching and learning.