Winner of Higher Education Bioscience Teacher of the Year 2026 announced
Date: 4 Jun 2026
The Royal Society of Biology is pleased to announce Dr Ahmed Elbediwy, Senior Lecturer and Biochemistry Course Leader at Kingston University London, as the winner of this year's Higher Education Bioscience Teacher of the Year.
The Award was presented at the annual Heads of University Biosciences (HUBS) meeting, held this year at Leeds Beckett University. It recognises leading educators at UK higher education institutions, highlighting the invaluable role they play in teaching and inspiring the next generation of bioscientists.
About Dr Elbediwy's approach to teaching
Selected from an impressive shortlist of candidates, Dr Elbediwy was crowned this year's winner.
Dr Ahmed Elbediwy is a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader at Kingston University London, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB), and a Senior Fellow of Advance Higher Education (SFHEA). While his disciplinary research focuses on cancer signalling, his passion lies in creating student-centred environments that ensure bioscience excellence is a meritocracy of potential rather than a privilege of proximity.
His proposed case study details a Digital-First, Kinaesthetic-Led Ecosystem, a transformative framework designed to dismantle systemic barriers faced by his diverse, primarily Global Majority cohort. By redefining the laboratory as a high-value performance space through first-person point of view YouTube videos, bite-sized commuter podcasts, and tactile clay modelling, Dr Elbediwy has fundamentally lifted the attainment floor for his learners.
Central to Dr Elbediwy's practice is radical empathy; he shares his perspectives to dismantle academic hierarchies and utilises real-time emotional check-ins to ensure that student motivation and belonging are anchored in their learning journey. Multiple peer-reviewed educational publications and sector-leading National Student Survey scores validate this scholarship-led approach. As an External Examiner and driver of academic change in the sector, Dr Elbediwy is dedicated to fostering a scientist-first mindset, ensuring every student has the tools to excel regardless of their socio-economic background.
Dr Elbediwy's reaction to winning
On winning the Award, Dr Elbediwy said: "I’m honestly so humbled and a little overwhelmed to receive this award. It means the world to me. Anyone who’s ever been in my classroom knows I always say the same thing: any award I win belongs to my students first. They’re the superheroes who show up every day with resilience, humour, and heart. They’re the reason I keep pushing myself to innovate and find new ways to help them reach their potential. It also belongs to my colleagues, who challenge me, support me, and make me want to be better at what I do. If you’re reading this and battling imposter syndrome, please hear me: apply anyway. Putting yourself forward forces you to look back at everything you’ve done, all the things you forgot you achieved, and it’s incredibly grounding. This is a special moment for me, one I’ll carry with me for a long time.”
The Award
The winner receives the Ed Wood Memorial Prize of £1,000 to spend as they choose, £250 worth of Oxford University Press books, one year’s free membership to the RSB, and their fee for their first year of Chartered Science Teacher (CSciTeach) is waived.
Congratulations also to this year's runners up Dr Helen Leggett, Associate Professor at the Universit of East Anglia, and Dr Raheela Awais, Senior Lecturer at the University of Liverpool.
The Higher Education Bioscience Teacher of the Year award is sponsored by Oxford University Press and Heads of University Biosciences (HUBS), a Special Interest Group of the RSB.
Top photo (left-right): RBS Chief Executive Dr Doug Brown, winner Dr Elbediwy, runner-up Dr Helen Leggett, and runner-up Dr Raheela Awais.