DPhil Student Daniel Cottle Awarded Daphne Jackson Medal and Prize

The Daphne Jackson Medal and Prize is awarded in recognition of those who have made exceptional early career contributions to physics education and is named after Britain’s first female professor of Physics (Daphne Jackson was appointed by Surrey University in 1971). Daniel has been recognised for his work in improving diversity and tackling challenges related to the recruitment and retention of physics teachers.

For his DPhil within the University’s Department of Education, Daniel is exploring how to widen access to physics by recruiting and retaining more secondary school physics teachers with a project titled: ‘Becoming a physics teacher: How do physics teachers navigate the transition from physicist to physics teacher?’ This is a qualitative longitudinal study tracking a small number of final year physics undergraduate students through teacher training and into the first year of their career as a physics teacher. The data will provide insights into why current strategies to increase the number of physics teachers have so far only had limited success and lead to greater understanding of how physics teacher identity changes over time.

Alongside his studies at LMH, which he undertakes on a part-time basis, Daniel is Associate Professor of Physics Education at the University of Birmingham, where he works across the schools of Education and Physics & Astronomy. Since joining the university in 2018 after a career as a secondary school physics teacher, Daniel has introduced initiatives aimed at addressing the well-documented shortage of teachers and lack of diversity in physics education. His work has helped expand access to physics teaching careers, providing a pathway for students from a variety of backgrounds to enter the field. When Daniel joined the university, there were five trainee physics teachers; by 2023, that number had increased to 13, a significant achievement given the nationwide decline in numbers during that time.

Daniel was responsible for introducing a fully funded foundation year at Birmingham, aimed at supporting those without traditional qualifications to join the physics teaching programme. This program provides academic preparation and professional networking opportunities to ensure students are well-supported and able to access the same career opportunities as their peers. Daniel also leads the UK-wide Levelling Up physics outreach initiative.

At the national policy level, Daniel advises the UK Department for Education on physics education strategies. His insights, drawn from both research and classroom experience, contribute to broader discussions about how best to support the next generation of physics educators.