- PhD Student & Research Assistant
Biography
I am a part-time PhD student at the University of Cambridge, exploring physical computing approaches to teaching computer science at the K-12 level. With over 15 years of experience in STEM and computing education, I am passionate about exploring innovative teaching methods and enhancing learning experiences to include all students. I'm also a part-time Research Assistant supporting the Exploring Physical Computing in Schools (EPICS) project.
I am an award-winning educator, author, YouTuber, and podcast host who shares knowledge and enthusiasm for computing and STEM with a global audience of students, parents, and educators.
I previously served as the Executive Director of Learning and Advancement at the Institute of Imagination, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to empowering children through creative education, and as Director of Educator Support at the Raspberry Pi Foundation. My work, combined with my ongoing research, reflects my commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM fields and fostering critical thinking skills for the future.
I'm the host of a Computer Science series on a popular educational YouTube channel, Crash Course, and the creator of a YouTube video series for teenage girls called the Geek Gurl Diaries. I'm also the author of Adventures in Raspberry Pi, a computing book for teenagers wanting to get started with Raspberry Pi and programming.
Professional Activities
- Deputy Chair Women@CL
- Trustee Hills Education Trust
Publications
Conference proceedings
- Philbin, CA., and Sentance, S., 2025. Student Use and Teacher Practice: A Scoping Review of Generative AI in Computing Education Using PICRAT. In Proceedings of the 2025 Conference on UK and Ireland Computing Education Research (UKICER '25). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 13, 1–7. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3754508.3754513
- Philbin, CA., 2024. Beyond Apps: Tablet and Micro:bit Devices as Tools for Creative Computing in Primary Schools. In Proceedings of the 8th Conference on Computing Education Practice (CEP '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 25–28. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3633053.3633054
- Philbin, CA., 2023. Impact of Generative AI on K-12 Students' Perceptions of Computing: A Research Proposal. In Proceedings of the 18th WiPSCE Conference on Primary and Secondary Computing Education Research (WiPSCE '23). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 28, 1–2. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3605468.3609775
- Burnard, P., Lavicza, Z. and Philbin, CA., 2016. Strictly Coding: Connecting Mathematics and Music through Digital Making https://archive.bridgesmathart.org/2016
Journal articles
- Philbin, CA., 2023. Exploring the Potential of Artificial Intelligence Program Generators in Computer Programming Education for Students. ACM Inroads 14, 3 (September 2023), 30–38. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1145/3610406
Book chapters
- Burnard, P., Florack, F., Blackwell, AF., Aaron, S. and Philbin, CA., 2017. Learning from live coding
Doi: 10.4324/9781315686431
Books
- Philbin, CA., 2014. Adventures In Raspberry Pi.
