Edinburgh Law School senior lecturers recognised for teaching excellence
Fri 5 April 2024
Three Edinburgh Law School senior lecturers have been recognised for their teaching excellence in various areas of the law. Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra and Dr Andy Aydın-Aitchison have been shortlisted for the European Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Social Sciences and Humanities, and Katy Macfarlane was longlisted for the Oxford University Press (OUP) Law Teacher of the Year award.
The European Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Social Sciences and Humanities was established by Central European University in 2011 to honour academics in the social sciences and humanities teaching at higher education institutions across the European Higher Education Area. The OUP Law Teacher of the Year award is a UK-based award that recognises all-round law teaching excellence within the UK.
Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra is a senior lecturer in Bioethics and Global Health Ethics at Edinburgh Law School, and Deputy Director of the Mason Institute. Her background is in bioethics with a special interest in global bioethics, structural, and gender justice. About being shortlisted, she said: ‘It is wonderful to have been shortlisted for this award alongside Dr Andy Aydın-Aitchison. As educators, we put in a lot of time and commitment into our courses, and it is truly energising to have new pedagogical approaches recognised.’
Dr Andy Aydın-Aitchison is a senior lecturer in Criminology at Edinburgh Law School. His course, ‘Criminologies of Atrocity’, was recently written up for the Journal of Criminal Justice Education in the paper, ‘Teaching Atrocity Criminology with ICTY Archives: Disciplinarity, Research, Ethics’. He is currently researching the question of emotions and ethics in teaching on atrocity violence with Annalisa Battista, a PhD student at Edinburgh Law School. About being shortlisted, he said: “I see a real excitement about teaching and learning at Edinburgh Law School, and many colleagues exploring new paths to enhancing students’ learning and experience here. Whatever the final outcome of these awards, I’m happy to be flying the flag for ELS pedagogies beside Dr Ganguli-Mitra.”
Katy Macfarlane is a senior lecturer in Child and Family Law at Edinburgh Law School as well as a qualified solicitor, Safeguarder for the Children’s Hearing System, Child Welfare Reporter in family law actions in Edinburgh Sheriff Court, and experienced mediator. Her areas of interest are Child and Family Law and Mental Health Law. About being longlisted, she said: “I am truly honoured to be nominated for the OUP Law Teacher of the Year. It is my genuine joy to watch our ELS students learn, grow and develop into confident and compassionate future leaders and contributors to society.”
Edinburgh Law School congratulates Dr Ganguli-Mitra, Dr Aydın-Aitchison, and Ms Macfarlane on their achievements, and thanks them for their dedication to excellence in teaching.
Dr Agomoni Ganguli-Mitra - Profile