Assistant Teaching Professor Patrick Wilson 

Forward-thinking chemical educator and student-centered pedagogy scholar Assistant Teaching Professor Patrick Wilson, who joined the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry in July 2025, brings a commitment to developing learning environments that cultivate ethical engagement, critical thinking, and belonging in undergraduate science education.

Wilson’s vision of creating learning environments where students can observe chemical principles in action within community-based contexts is advancing the department’s mission to cultivate interest in scientific careers among students from diverse backgrounds.

“My teaching philosophy has been strongly influenced by my training as a chemist, medical professional, and educator,” Wilson says. “I am dedicated to providing my students with meaningful, real-world connections to chemistry, while ensuring they are supported in ways that help them build confidence, community, and a lasting commitment to learning.”

At UCLA, the Wilson research group develops pedagogical tools that integrate ethical inquiry as a practice of care into undergraduate chemistry curricula. Wilson’s research program aims to foster moral and intellectual development in undergraduate students during their formative academic years, encouraging them to apply their scientific expertise for the public good. By assessing student understanding and application of ethical principles, he seeks to create an inclusive and proactive learning environment that promotes student belonging and supports the development of responsible, innovative scientists.

Wilson’s experience as a postdoctoral researcher in chemical education at the STEM Education Innovation & Research Institute at Indiana University Indianapolis fueled his passion for his work and involved assessing the impact of the university’s efforts to incorporate evidence-based methods into science instruction, including examining how a pedagogical technique called cyber peer-led team learning influenced the development of critical thinking skills.

Learn more about Wilson’s research and career: https://bit.ly/patrick-wilson-ucla