Professor Andrew Balmford - Department of Zoology

Cambridge University has produced a series of films about five of this year’s Pilkington Prize winners. These films go behind the scenes to show Cambridge teaching in action as well as inviting winners to explain their passion for teaching and reveal some of their trade secrets. The films feature Lecturer in German Thought, Martin Ruehl; Physics Lecturer Lisa Jardine-Wright; Sociologist Mónica Moreno Figueroa; Zoologist Andrew Balmford; and Design Engineer James Moultrie.

Professor Andrew Balmford has made a truly outstanding contribution to teaching both within Cambridge and internationally. As an undergraduate teacher for the Part II Zoology and Part IB Ecology courses, Andrew is recognised as an excellent communicator and lecturer, proven by his consistent place at the top of the Zoology NSS scores. In the module on Conservation Science, which has proven consistently popular with students since Andrew began running it in 1998, he has spearheaded innovations such as introducing class-led debates on current controversies, running an annual clinic on careers in conservation, and initiating a student-to-student session during which Masters students talk to the Part II class about conservation in practice.

Outside of his role as a module convenor, Andrew has set up the Student Conference on Conservation Science – a globally successful training event for graduate students from all over the world. This has attracted students from 126 countries to come together in an exciting and informal exchange of ideas as well as to raise funds for around 30 developing country students each year. The conference has been so successful that it now has five sister conferences happening all over the world.

In addition to his teaching in the Department, Andrew has also helped to set up the Janet Moore Prize – given for college supervising in Part II Zoology, encouraging others in the field to strive for teaching excellence.