In my career devoted to physical science education at university, I strive to help students connect theory to experiments & applications in research & technology.  This quest has led to implementing research-based instructional strategies as well as research and development of new pedagogical approaches.  Currently, my main pedagogical focus relates to teaching and training scientific research skills, understandings, and self-efficacy in physical science lab courses (see below).

My formal education consists of a BSc in physics and a BSEng in mechanical engineering from Ohio University, and a master's and PhD in electrical engineering from Princeton University.  During my studies and, to a lesser extent, during my work as a lecturer I have participated in experimental research in solid state nanoscale systems and low temperature electron (spin) physics.

As a lecturer at Amsterdam University College since 2010, my teaching experience includes introductory physics, some applied mathematics, energy science, physics lab courses, nanoscience, and the Maker Lab course.  The small-scale “university colleges” in the Netherlands are honors bachelor’s programs with a liberal arts and sciences basis and strong emphasis on student community.  I am also an AUC “tutor”, serving as an academic advisor and helping students to make the most their AUC curriculum choices.

Current pedagogical research and development focus:

In 2019, I was awarded a Comenius Teaching Fellowship to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of AUC's multidisciplinary Maker Lab course. Full course materials from the Maker Lab’s first iteration were published in an open-source git repository (link) and accepted in several of ComPADRE’s well-known collections of physics teaching materials. Freek Pols and I published on the pandemic-resilience of the course design (link) and I have recently given presentations at academic conferences on the open inquiry methods:

• (invited talk) F Bradbury “Maker Lab: a radically open physical science lab course for multi-disciplinary cohorts of natural science students” World Conference on Physics Education (2021).
• F Bradbury, CFJ Pols “Using the Assessment Rubric for Physics Inquiry for open inquiries in a multidisciplinary lab course” AAPT’s Physics Education Research Conference (2021).
• F Bradbury, CFJ Pols “Assessing a flipped-lab course consisting of open-inquiry projects using Arduinos” American Association for Physics Teachers Summer Meeting (2021).
• (invited talk) F Bradbury “AUC Maker Lab, Edition #2” Landelijke Natuurkunde Practicumdag van de Nederlandse Natuurkundige Vereniging (2021).
• (invited talk) F Bradbury “Science, serendipity, and supervision in Maker Labs” in the Achieving Laboratory Learning Goals Through Remote Lab Instruction Session at the American Physical Society April meeting (2021).
• (invited talk) F Bradbury, CFJ Pols “Making and spreading resilience in open-inquiry physics teaching labs” Reichert Award Session at the American Physical Society March meeting (2021).
• (invited plenary panelist) F Bradbury “Session:  Contrasting the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic across various countries” Biennial Consultation of the International Consortium for Research in Science & Mathematics Education (2021).
• (invited talk) F Bradbury “Benefits of doing science in science labs” in the Supporting Students in Doing Research & Learning Session at the 2021 Comenius Festival for innovation in higher education.
• F Bradbury, CFJ Pols, CL Vlaanderen “Open-inquiry experiments using sensors controlled by Arduinos in a pandemic-resilient lab course” AAPT’s Physics Education Research Conference (2020).
• (invited talk) F Bradbury “Flipping science lab courses with portable sensors” Landelijke Natuurkunde Practicumdag van de Nederlandse Natuurkundige Vereniging (2020).