Paul McDermott

Paul McDermott is an Associate Professor in Medicinal Chemistry in the School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology at the University of East Anglia (UEA). He completed his BSc (Hons) in Chemistry, MSc in Organic Chemistry, and PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at UEA, before undertaking early‑career roles in chemical information science and the pharmaceutical industry as a medicinal chemist. He returned to UEA in 2007 and has since developed a career spanning medicinal chemistry research, pharmacy education, and pedagogical scholarship.

Paul has a sustained teaching and leadership role within the School. He is currently MPharm Year 3 Lead, Module Lead for Core Skills on the Newly Designed Pharmacology and Drug Discovery degree, and is the school’s Senior Adviser. His teaching focuses on medicinal chemistry, drug discovery, and the development of transferable skills essential for contemporary pharmacy and pharmaceutical science practice.

His research interests span both discipline‑based medicinal chemistry and education research. Scientific outputs include work on synthetic methodology and fragment‑based approaches to antibacterial drug discovery, published in journals such as Organic Letters and Medicinal Chemistry Communications. Alongside this, his educational scholarship explores assessment design, self‑regulated learning, transitional pedagogies, and the integration of digital and AI‑enabled tools in higher education.

Paul has led the development of a number of innovative teaching practices, including interactive digital learning resources, laboratory‑based escape room activities to evaluate teamworking and problem‑solving, and a transitional undergraduate research module designed to prepare students for authentic and situated learning environments. His work on embedding self‑assessment within multiple‑choice assessment formats has been presented internationally and adopted within regional pharmacy training programmes to support clinical decision‑making confidence.

More recently, his scholarly focus has extended to the pedagogical and wellbeing implications of technology use in higher education. He has developed approaches to assessing the learning process rather than AI‑generated outputs, and a digital fast programme that supports students in reflecting on focus, attention and healthier digital rhythms. This work has been disseminated through Times Higher Education Campus and peer‑reviewed chemical education journals, with further publications in preparation.

Paul is actively engaged in academic citizenship and educational development at institutional and national level. He has contributed to transnational education initiatives with partner universities in Vietnam, delivers staff development workshops through the Centre for Staff Educational Development (CSED), and supports professional development through teaching observation and evaluation activities. He is a UEA University Teaching Fellow, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

His contributions to teaching and educational innovation have been recognised through multiple awards, including the UEA Award for Excellence in Teaching, the UEA Transforming Teaching Award, the Sir Geoffrey and Lady Allen Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and competitive internal fellowships supporting teaching and research.

• Design and evaluation of chemistry and pharmacy curricula that support transition, authenticity and situated learning
• Assessment for learning, with a particular focus on self‑assessment, feedback literacy, and confidence development in clinical and scientific decision‑making
• Educational uses of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, including process‑focused assessment design and ethical integration of generative AI in coursework
• Student wellbeing, attention, and learning behaviours in digitally mediated environments, including digital minimalism and “digital fast” pedagogies
• Scholarship of teaching and learning in pharmacy, medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical science education

Research Grants

Edward Acton Teaching Fellowship, UEA
Enhancing the student experience and improving student feedback: pilot study for the use of screencasting in undergraduate laboratory preparation.
Investigators - Dr Anja Mueller, Dr Paul McDermott, Mr George Gordon
Start date - July 2011
£5000