Elon University's Department of Chemistry in Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences will welcome Tom Ritchie from the University of Warwick in September 2025.
Tom Ritchie, a faculty member at the University of Warwick in England, will join Elon University’s Department of Chemistry as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar in fall 2025, bringing his work on interdisciplinary STEM education and AI integration.
“The aspects of Dr. Ritchie’s proposed work align seamlessly with several things we already have in motion here at Elon University. But at Elon, we have a culture of never being satisfied; we know that we can always do better, and that we constantly need to strive for better,” said Joel Karty, Sydney F & Kathleen E Jackson professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry. “Dr. Ritchie’s proposed work promises to help us make strides in some challenging areas.”
Solving ‘wicked problems’
Karty notes that science literacy is important for all students and reaching more non-science majors is a goal for the department. While Ritchie will teach through the Department of Chemistry, his educational background is in history and the history of science. He focuses on how to make STEM education more inclusive and interdisciplinary, connecting science to the real world and solving what he calls “wicked problems.” One of Richie’s courses at Warwick, “Beyond Science,” has students work on projects related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, collaborating with mentors across disciplines.
“A chemistry degree shouldn’t just be about what you do in the lab,” said Ritchie. “It should be about developing your understanding of challenges we face today, like climate change or inequality, that can’t just be solved by science alone, but that science will have a key role in. I think with those wicked problems, you have to bring ideas from other disciplines as well.”
The Fulbright Elon University Award, through the Fulbright Commission, allows academics and professionals to teach and pursue independent research in any subject area offered by the university.
Ritchie first heard of Elon through Sarah Dyer with the University of Exeter, who participated in Elon’s 2018-2020 research seminar on Capstone Experiences through the Center of Engaged Learning.
“It was inspirational when you saw her passion when she was talking about Elon. When it came to applying and looking through the different awards, Elon jumped out and very quickly I said ‘That’s the only choice,’” he said. “Elon stood out to me because of its commitment to inclusive excellence and the focus on student-centered learning innovation and teaching. It feels like a place I could go and share what I do and grow what I do and learn more.”
Ethical AI
As universities, including Elon, integrate AI into their policies and processes – Ritchie focuses on how to teach students to understand and ethically use the technology. At Warwick, Ritchie and a colleague created “The AI Revolution,” an interdisciplinary course focused on AI ethics and AI literacy.
“We want to talk about AI from a philosophical point of view and a historical point of view,” Ritchie said. “How is this a technology that compares to previous technology panics that we’ve seen? And all of these sorts of questions that get students to try to think about AI as more than just a specific tool.”
In addition to his teaching role at Warwick, Ritchie is also director of student experience and emphasizes the importance of belonging and mattering at universities. He developed “We Are Chemistry,” a co-created inclusive education program that, Ritchie says, has led to a 45% reduction in students leaving the department and a 12% rise in first-year student academic success.
“I’d like to think that students leave my courses feeling a bit more like they belong,” said Ritchie. “Belonging is a really hard aspect of university life, but it’s a really important one. There’s so many studies that show the link between belonging and success. I’d like to think students leave my classes feeling like their voices mattered, that their ideas have had power, and that I’ve tried to be responsive in how I teach.”
Ritchie will begin teaching in Winter Term 2026. Because Ritchie’s background is in history, he will not be teaching chemistry courses. Some of the courses Ritchie could potentially develop at Elon include:
- Innovation Ecosystems: From Local to Global
- AI Revolution: Navigating a World with Artificial Minds
- Science Across Divides: The Art of Communicating Complex Ideas
- Disruptive Futures: Navigating Radical Change
- Serious Play: Innovation Through Experimentation and Joy
- Design Thinking for Social Impact