Lecturer in Interdisciplinary Agricultural Studies | Deputy Chair, School Teaching & Learning Committee | Affiliate Academic, ITaLI
I am an educator and researcher dedicated to transforming teaching and learning in higher education. My strong focus is on interdisciplinary agricultural studies, student engagement, and curriculum innovation. With a background in chemistry, biology, and animal science, I bridge the gap between scientific disciplines to enhance student learning experiences.
As Deputy Chair of the School Teaching & Learning Committee, I lead strategic initiatives to improve curriculum design, assessment practices, and student transition strategies. He actively supports colleagues in implementing evidence-based teaching approaches and co-teaching models that foster collaboration and pedagogical innovation.
My research explores the impact of virtual field trips in agriculture, student-industry engagement, and digital inclusion in higher education. I am particularly interested in how technology-enhanced learning can support students from diverse backgrounds, including rural and remote learners. I have successfully led and contributed to multiple teaching and learning grants, driving projects that integrate sustainability, digital tools, and real-world applications into agricultural education.
A passionate advocate for teaching excellence and educator development, I am deeply involved in mentoring peers through faculty-wide professional development programs, co-teaching initiatives, and peer coaching. Through these initiatives, I guide early-career educators in developing active learning strategies, refining their teaching practices, and enhancing student engagement. He also provides SECaTS reviews, workshops, and structured feedback sessions, supporting colleagues in strengthening their pedagogical approaches.
I am actively engaged in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), investigating co-teaching effectiveness, assessment redesign, and student learning outcomes. My research-driven approach informs not only my own teaching but also broader institutional efforts to enhance curriculum alignment, academic integrity, and inclusive teaching practices.
A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), I have received commendations for teaching excellence, reflecting my commitment to student-centred learning and academic leadership.
Research Interests:
✅ Co-teaching and interdisciplinary collaboration
✅ Curriculum innovation and assessment redesign
✅ Digital inclusion and technology-enhanced learning
✅ Virtual field trips and industry engagement in agricultural education
✅ Student transition and first-year experience in STEM
✅ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in higher education
I actively collaborate with university and industry partners to reimagine agricultural education, mentor the next generation of educators, and cultivate skilled professionals for the agricultural sector's future.
Dr Chase Sherwell is a Research Fellow at the UQ Learning Lab and the Principal Research Technician for the Compassionate Mind Research Group in the School of Psychology. His research combines neuroscientific, psychological, and educational perspectives to provide tools for enacting learning, well-being, and behavioural change in real-world contexts. With a focus on application, Dr Sherwell’s work aims to identify metrics of internal psychological mechanisms that can be easily interpreted and integrated by professionals and end-users to facilitate skill development and mental health in everyday life.
With a background in cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and education research, Dr Sherwell leads projects that aim to explain learning, development, and mental health across disciplinary lines: from the level of neural networks through to everyday experience. Integrating multi-modal techniques including digital interaction, biometrics, and neurophysiology, Dr Sherwell develops tools, user experiences, and analytics that provide actionable metrics and insights for professionals and researchers.
Dr Sherwell is a Research Fellow in the UQ Learning Lab: a team of multi-disciplinary researchers, educators, and industry partners who collaborate to transform learning, teaching, and training in diverse school and post-school environments through the science of learning. In this role, Dr Sherwell lends his expertise in cognitive neuroscience and psychology to develop projects aimed at understanding and measuring the barriers, facilitators, and mechanisms of self-regulation in professional contexts. He leads projects designing digital tools providing educators with real-time feedback on learner states and skill development integrating smartphone apps and biometrics from wearable devices.
Dr Sherwell is also the Principal Research Technician for the Compassionate Mind Research Group – the leading research hub for Compassion Science in Australia, based at the UQ School of Psychology. In this role, he oversees research design and development across projects investigating the mechanisms of prosocial behaviour in everyday life, barriers to clinical interventions, and the efficacy of online interventions for mental health.
