Sarah Symons

Professor, Interdisciplinary Science

0000-0003-3123-1111

Dr. Sarah Symons is a Professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Science and an associate member of the Department of Physics & Astronomy. She was educated in the UK, gaining a BSc Honours Degree in Mathematics and Astronomy and PhD in History of Astronomy in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Leicester. She began her career as an academic pedagogical project manager in the UK. Since arriving at McMaster, she has been a pedagogical designer and teaching professor in the Honours Integrated Science Program in the School of Interdisciplinary Science.

Her major teaching interests are centred around science literacy and scientific skills development in science courses big and small. Sarah’s involvement in scholarship of teaching and learning includes pedagogical research in science education, educational consultancy focusing on active learning and assessment design, and collaborative projects with teaching-stream and interdisciplinary faculty internationally. She was awarded a MacPherson Institute Impact Fellowship in 2015 and her skills in faculty development and managing curriculum change have been recognised by a visiting professorship at the University of Tokyo in 2016 and the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in 2022. Sarah’s research in history of astronomy concentrates on astronomical texts and instruments from ancient Egypt, investigating how the sky was perceived and described up to 4500 years ago.