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ABOUT ME

A Creative and Passionate Lecturer, MOOC creator, Educational Problem-solver, Aerospace Engineer by training. Experienced Engineering Education Researcher and Innovator with love for evidence-based interventions. Current research focus in on competencies and skills for future engineers and their implementation in curricula using active learning. TU Delft Education Fellow, Senior Lecturer/ Associate Professor in the Robot Dynamics Group at the Cognitive Robotic Department, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft with over 25 years experience in teaching, curriculum development (BSc, MSc and online), programme management and accreditation with an extensive international network in engineering education and industry. Regular Keynote and invited speaker on Engineering Education and past member of the SEFI Board of Directors. ICO Fellow, member of KIvI, IEEEUK & IE EERN, SEFI, and ASEE.

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EDUCATION

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Transferable Competencies and Skills and Preparation for Labour Market

What are the transferable competencies and skills future engineers need and how to implement, assess and evaluate these within engineering curricula to better prepare students for the labour market.

2002 - 2008

Delft University of Technology

PhD in Aerospace Engineering Education

Thesis: Study of Delft Aerospace Alumni

Curriculum Development and Evaluation

From designing to evaluating engineering curricula w.r.t. learning outcomes, alignment within curricula, and assessment.

Online Education and Life-Long Learning

Studying the needs of life-long learners and the behaviour and engagement of learners in online courses and how to use online courses in campus-centred education.

Teaching Innovations

Not only thinking up new innovations but ensuring they are evidence-based and evaluated for effectiveness after implementation.

2004 - 2005

Delft University of Technology

University Teaching Qualification

Post-Graduate Qualification in Higher Education

1993 - 1998

Delft University of Technology

MSc Aerospace Engineering in Aerospace Structures and Computational Mechanics

© 2025 by Gillian Saunders-Smits 

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