Rate My Professor Mark Ellison

Associate Professor Mark Ellison serves in the Chemistry faculty at the Australian National University as Deputy Associate Director (Education) and First Year Convenor within the Research School of Chemistry. Mark is originally from Perth, Western Australia, where he studied Chemistry at The University of Western Australia, earning his BSc, and at Murdoch University, completing his Honours. After a year as a forensic chemist at Scotland Yard, he pursued and completed his PhD in Science Communication through the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at ANU. Earlier in his career, from 1990 to 2001, he was a Lecturer in Chemistry at Murdoch University and Academic Coordinator of the Annual WA Science Summer School from 1995 to 2001, earning the Murdoch University Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 1996. Subsequently, he held the position of Head of Science at Radford College in Canberra from 2002 to 2004. Since 2006 at ANU, he has been the inaugural First-Year Undergraduate Chemistry Coordinator, delivering sustained teaching in the foundational courses CHEM1101 Chemistry 1 and CHEM1201 Chemistry 2, thereby influencing a large number of students at the outset of their academic journeys.

Ellison’s teaching excellence is recognized through multiple prestigious awards, such as the Pearson/RACI Centenary of Federation Chemistry Educator of the Year Award in 2011, the Australian Government Awards for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning in 2012, shortlisting in the Physical Sciences category of the Australian Awards for University Teaching in 1999, and the Joint Colleges of Science Excellence in Education Award at ANU in 2013 and 2018. His pedagogy is characterized by a student-centred approach that incorporates enthusiasm, enjoyment, context, humour, and constant responsiveness to student feedback, while maintaining strong links between teachers, students, and the learning environment. Highlights include his students' creation of the 'Natural Chemist' rap video in 2007 for his Chemistry 2 class, and his innovative adaptations during the 2020 pandemic, producing virtual lab videos, engaging Zoom tutorials, and expanded pre-recorded lectures to enhance accessibility and understanding. Through these efforts, Ellison demonstrates a profound commitment to caring for the student experience, enabling struggling students to flourish and developing confident, knowledgeable science leaders and thoughtful citizens.