51³Ô¹ÏÍø

The department hosted the first workshop on (Gen)AI in chemistry education on Monday 21st July 2025.

In collaboration with , , , , and welcomed colleagues from 26 universities and from . The aim of this workshop was to explore the role of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in chemistry education. 

, in his current role as Vice-Provost (Education and Student Experience) at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, welcomed the attendees with a short talk on the wider impact of GenAI in education.

The first talk of the day started with a keynote from Dr Konstantinos Beis who represented the AI futurists at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. The futurists, spanning different departments at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø, have been at the forefront of how our community shapes its response to new technologies, particularly within the education field. 

and then led an interactive session on GenAI responses to chemistry questions. First-year undergraduates undertake this workshop as part of their exposure to GenAI when they join the department. 

Following this, and showcased their new laboratory experiment which is available for third-year undergraduate students at 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. This experiment embeds AI and machine learning into the curriculum, with applications in polymer recycling.  

The afternoon featured a series of talks from invited speakers. It was excellent to hear how GenAI is currently being used across the sector in both assessments and teaching of this rapidly evolving topic area. 

There was then an opportunity for attendees to discuss GenAI practices in their institutions and more broadly where the sector could be headed. The day was drawn to a close by in her role as co-director of The AiChemy Hub.

The day concluded with refreshments and networking in the Chemical Kitchen. Here, gave a short presentation on the history of the Chemical Kitchen and publications resulting from the transdisciplinary work. 

A huge thanks to Dr Chris Mellor and Aysel Sarzosa Llerena for helping to organize the day. Special thanks also to the chemistry department’s undergraduate education team for assisting with logistics