Marjan Zadnik has brought the benefits of physics education research into the classroom and to the attention of other academics in Australia over the past two decades. He was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 1996 by the Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching and presented the results of his study on international developments in physics education to peers nationwide. By focusing on students’ learning needs and clear identifiable outcomes, he has been an inspiring teacher, and in cooperation with colleagues had introduced innovations such as Studio Physics. He has earned recognition in the science and engineering education communities Australia-wide and was in 2003 being appointed as inaugural Dean of Teaching and Learning in the Division of Engineering, Science and Computing at Curtin University. He has been the recipient of over 50 teaching research and development grants including ARC and CAUT/CUTSD, has published extensively in international journals, and been invited speaker and workshop presenter at several Australian education conferences. He has contributed significantly to teacher development through conferences and by supervision of higher degrees, and in 2000 co-authored a paper judged as Most Valuable Paper by the Australian Science Teachers Journal. His efforts in promoting physics are exemplified in the video, ‘Get Real! Get into Physics” which he co-authored, won a British Educational Television Association Annual Award.
