- Research Associate
I am a Research Associate in Computing Education working with Dr Sue Sentance. I am part of the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre. I am also a Postdoctoral By-Fellow at Churchill College.
We are conducting a five-year, longitudinal, mixed methods project investigating the long-term impact of physical computing on primary school pupils' attitudes and beliefs such as creativity, technological self-efficacy, and socio-technological agency. We will also be investigating gender differences in how young people engage with physical computing, and the role of parents and teachers in developing young people's digital capital. The project is supported by the Micro:bit Educational Foundation, the BBC, and Nominet.
My wider research interests include widening participation in STEM education, inquiry-based learning, and assessment.
Biography
Prior to joining the department in 2024, I held several postdoctoral positions in science/physics education. I was a postdoctoral researcher in physics higher education at Imperial College London from 2021-2024, in science education at King's College London (in the School of Education, Communication and Society) from 2020-2021, and in physics secondary education at the University of Cambridge from 2019-2021.
In 2024 I was awarded Advance HE Fellowship for my teaching achievements in my previous role at Imperial College London. There, I led several staff-student partnerships investigating aspects of physics education, and taught and assessed modules such as How to Outreach, The Science of Learning, and Communicating Physics.
My undergraduate (Imperial College London), master's (King's College London), and doctoral backgrounds have all been in theoretical physics. I was awarded my PhD in theoretical cosmology from Queen Mary University of London in 2019. Alongside my PhD I worked part-time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich as an Observatory Explainer and then as an STFC Astronomer. As part of my role I delivered school sessions to primary and secondary school pupils and presented Planetarium shows to schools and the public. During my PhD I also took part in various outreach activities, including highlights such as Soapbox Science and Pint of Science.
For the last five years, I have been a volunteer tutor with the Access Project, providing GCSE physics tuition to students from under-resourced backgrounds.
Teaching
Part II Physics Education.
Publications
Journal articles
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Durk, J., and Authors. In preparation.
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Author, Durk, J., and Authors. Submitted to European Journal of Physics.
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Durk, J., & Sentance, S. (2025). A positive and inclusive classroom experience: primary school teachers’ perspectives of physical computing. Accepted for Interaction Design and Children 2025.
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Durk, J., Smith, A., Rahman, N., & Christie, R. (2024). Exam Experiences, Motivational Beliefs, and Belonging in First-Year University Physics Students: Insights from the Covid-19 Pandemic. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 12, 1-19. Doi: 10.20343/teachlearninqu.12.30
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Durk, J., Smith, A., Aydın, B., Julia, A., & Rabey, I. (2024). Using expectancy-value theory to understand the teaching motivations of women physics lecturers. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 20(1), 010157. Doi: 10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.20.010157
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Moore, A. M., Fairhurst, P., Bennett, J. M., Harrison, C., Correia, C. F., & Durk, J. (2023). Assessment and practical science: identifying generalizable characteristics of written assessments that reward and incentivise effective practices in practical science lessons. International Journal of Science Education, 46(7), 643-669. Doi: 10.1080/09500693.2023.2253366
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Durk, J., Davies, A., Hughes, R., & Jardine-Wright, L. (2020). Impact of an active learning physics workshop on secondary school students’ self-efficacy and ability. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 16(2), 020126. Doi: 10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.16.020126
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Durk, J., & Clifton, T. (2019). Discrete cosmological models in the Brans–Dicke theory of gravity. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 36(18), 185011. Doi: 10.1088/1361-6382/ab329e
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Bentivegna, E., Clifton, T., Durk, J., Korzyński, M., & Rosquist, K. (2018). Black-hole lattices as cosmological models. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 35(17), 175004. Doi: 10.1088/1361-6382/aac846
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Durk, J., & Clifton, T. (2017). A quasi-static approach to structure formation in black hole universes. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, 2017(10), 012. Doi: 10.1088/1475-7516/2017/10/012
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Bibi, R., Clifton, T., & Durk, J. (2017). Cosmological solutions with charged black holes. General Relativity and Gravitation, 49, 1-14. Doi: 10.1007/s10714-017-2261-4
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Durk, J., & Clifton, T. (2017). Exact initial data for black hole universes with a cosmological constant. Classical and Quantum Gravity, 34(6), 065009. Doi: 10.1088/1361-6382/aa6064
Book chapters
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Howson, C. B. K., Smith, A., Durk, J., Fox, M. F., Tymms, V., & Richards, M. Strengthening learning communities: Belonging in a UK physics department. In Academic Belonging in Higher Education (pp. 80-94). Routledge. Doi: 10.4324/9781003443735-8
