Dr Adam Feldman brings an exceptionally unusual set of skills to the teaching of engineering, energy and specifically, renewable energy, at the University of Exeter. Based at its Cornwall Campus, near Falmouth, he has led the undergraduate programmes in renewable energy for six years.
Adam didn’t set out as an engineer. Originally qualified in Medicine, he worked clinically as a Consultant Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgeon. During his 20 years in NHS clinical practice, Adam employed every opportunity to teach and promote wide understanding.
As a young postgraduate anatomy demonstrator, Adam discovered that he adored HE teaching and experimented with, and explored techniques, to assist learning. Teaching has formed the core of much of his career ever since.
Winning accolades in medicine including ‘Best Pre-Clinical Teacher’ and ‘NW Surgical Trainer of the Year’, Adam became known for amazing, frequently ‘wacky’ self-built models or props used to promote deep understanding of complex ideas, problems and structures. A technique he used originally within his medical teaching, he now uses extensively across his engineering teaching (plus again when he teaches medics engineering and engineers concepts of medicine).
Travelling between rural clinics and hospitals in North Lancashire and Cumbria, Adam became wholly fascinated by the appearance of large wind-turbines. Returning to university as a mature student, he graduated in Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of Exeter, then took-up a Teaching-Fellow role, progressing to Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Fellow and then Senior Fellow of Advance HE (previously the Higher Education Academy) and undergraduate Programme Lead for the department.
Adam’s programme has been voted two years running (2017/18, 2018/19) by students as ‘Best Programme of Study’ at the University of Exeter – Student Guild and Union Teaching Excellence Awards. Adam himself has been nominated eight times, every year in his current role, to the Teaching Excellence Awards from a cohort of over 2000 academics at the University.
Most recently, Adam was awarded ‘Best Lecturer’ for the College of Engineering, Mathematics & Physical-Sciences (student vote) and was the winner of the College’s ‘Positive Impact Award’ by his academic colleagues for the sustained development of outstanding teaching, plus techniques of assessment and feedback.