Personal profile
Overview
I started at Bangor University, as a teaching-focused lecturer in zoology, in 2014. My research background is in amphibian biology and biomechanics and I contribute sessions drawing on this expertise to modules compulsory to our unique 'Zoology with Herpetology' degree. As a biomechanicist, I am particularly fascinated by the links between form and function as it applies across a whole range of organisms, meaning my interests are broad, so I am able to contribute to a wide range of modules across the biology, zoology and marine zoology degrees (see Teaching and Supervision link).
As a teaching and scholarship lecturer, I am also interested in pedagogical approaches to teaching zoology. Both at Glasgow, where I started teaching, and at Bangor I have been mainly involved in teaching in a large-class environment, with particular focus on the first year. I was awarded a teaching excellence award in 2008 in recognition of “effective, responsive and creative approaches to administering, teaching and supporting the learning of a large group of students in their first year at University”. I completed a PGCHE in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education in 2009 and have been a Fellow of the HEA since 2014.
Contact Info
Name Joanna Smith
Position Senior Lecturer in Zoology
Email [email protected]
Phone +44 (0)1248 38 2298
Location Wheldon Building (Office 113)
Teaching and Supervision
Module lead:
ENS-1401 Organismal Diversity
Contribute teaching to:
BSX-2032 Field Courses (India)
BSX-2035 Field Courses (Local)
BSX-2028 Introduction to Herpetology
BSX-3158 Advances in Herpetology
BSX-3070 Dissertations
BNS-3001/3 Freshwater Ecosystems
Previous teaching/lead on:
BSX-1028 Tutorials
BSX-1027 Comparative Zoology
BSX-2021 Bioscience Skills
BSX-2022 Vertebrate Biology
BSX-2030 Integrated Zoology
BSX-3151 Animal Design
BSM-4000 Masters Research Project
ONS-1001 Introductory Research Skills
OSX-3203 Airbreathing Marine Vertebrates
I supervise ~10 UG dissertation students a year, and have co-supervised MScRes students.
External positions
External Examiner (Biology), Swansea University
2021 → 2024
Keywords
- QL Zoology
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 14 Life Below Water
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SDG 15 Life on Land
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- 1 Similar Profiles
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Contrasting selection pressure on body and weapon size in a polygynous megaherbivore
Shannon, G., Sadler, P., Smith, J., Roylance-Casson, E. & Cordes, L., 31 Oct 2021, In: Biology Letters. 17, 10Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile74 Downloads (Pure) -
The distribution and conservation status of the Dwarf Marsupial Frog (Flectonotus fitzgeraldi, Anura, Hemiphractidae) in Trinidad, Tobago, and Venezuela
Smith, J., Thornham, D., Downie, R., Jowers, M., Auguste, R., Hoskisson, P., Beyts, C., Muir, G., Greener, M., Byrne, I., Lehtinen, R., Eyre, M., Rutherford, M., Murphy, J. C., De Freitas, M. & Rivas, G., 30 Jun 2021, In: Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. 15, 1, p. 36–56 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Stable individual variation in ventral spotting patterns in Phyllomedusa trinitatis (Anura: Phyllomedusidae) and other Phyllomedusa species: a minimally invasive method for recognizing individuals
Smith, J., Bland, A., Gourevitch, E., Hoskisson, P. & Downie, R., Jun 2019, In: Phyllomedusa. 18, 1, p. 13-26Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile330 Downloads (Pure) -
A Field Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Trinidad & Tobago
Smith, J., Murphy, J., Downie, R., Livingstone, S., Mohammed, R. & Lehtinen, R., Feb 2018, Trinidad & Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club. 336 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book
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An Investigation of Ecological Correlates With Hand and Foot Morphology in Callitrichid Primates
Smith, J. & Smith, A., Oct 2013, In: American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 152, 4, p. 447–458 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Size matters, but what you do withit also counts: Strategies to break down the large class experience
Smith, J. (Speaker), Thornham, D. (Speaker) & Jones, K. (Speaker)
2018Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
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Ticking boxes or voyage of self-discovery? Reflective self-assessment as a tool for student-led learning.
Jones, K. (Speaker) & Smith, J. (Speaker)
2016Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
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Adhesion in growing tree frogs – solutions to a sticky problem.
Smith, J. (Speaker), Barnes, W. (Speaker), Downie, R. (Speaker) & Ruxton, G. D. (Speaker)
2003Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
Prizes
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David Searle Prize for Scientific Writing
Smith, J. (Recipient), 2001
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Education and Student Experience Award
Smith, J. (Recipient), 2024
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Teaching Excellence Award
Smith, J. (Recipient), Tierney, A. (Recipient), Brown, A. (Recipient) & Neil, D. (Recipient), 2008
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)