Academic wins prestigious Bioscience Teacher of the Year Award

An academic from Kingston University has been named Higher Education Bioscience Teacher of the Year by the Royal Society of Biology.

Course Director of Kingston University’s Biochemistry BSc programme, Dr Ahmed Elbediwy, was announced as the winner of the prize, which is sponsored by Oxford University Press, during the 2026 Heads of University Biosciences conference.

The annual award seeks to identify the UK’s leading bioscience higher education teachers and recognises the invaluable role they play in educating and inspiring the next generation of biologists. The recipients demonstrated outstanding learning and teaching practice which promoted and enhanced student achievement in their field.

Dr Elbediwy’s passion for supporting students to succeed, regardless of their socio-economic background, was key to winning the award. His proposed case study details a digital-first, kinaesthetic-led ecosystem, a transformative framework designed to dismantle systemic barriers faced by his diverse cohort of students.

By refining teaching using first-person point of view YouTube videos, bite-sized commuter podcasts, tactile clay modelling, he has lifted the attainment floor for his learners while nurturing a student-centred environment.

He also uses real-time emotional check-ins with his students to ensure motivation and belonging are engrained in their learning journey. As an external examiner and driver of academic change in the sector, Dr Elbediwy is dedicated to fostering a scientist-first mindset to ensure every student has the tools to excel regardless of their background and upbringing.

Dr Elbediwy said he was humbled to receive the award and dedicated the award to his students. “They’re the superheroes who show up every day with resilience, humour and heart, and they’re the reason I keep pushing myself to innovate and find new ways to help them reach their potential,” he said.

“The award also belongs to my colleagues, who challenge and support me, and make me want to be better. My ethos is simple: meet students where they are, remove the barriers they didn’t choose and let talent speak louder than circumstance.”

• Find out more about studying biochemistry at Kingston University.