Rate My Professor Lisa Russell

Dr Lisa Russell is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago, serving as course coordinator for CELS191 (Cell and Molecular Biology) and CELS199. CELS191 is the largest paper at the university, with 1,800 to 2,000 enrolments each year and functioning as a prerequisite for 23 science degrees, impacting about 45% of first-year students. These courses draw lecturers from departments including Anatomy, Biochemistry, Botany, Microbiology, Zoology, and Genetics. Russell earned her PhD from the University of Otago in 2009 for the thesis 'An Examination of Pachymenia and Aeodes (Rhodophyta) in New Zealand,' investigating red algal taxonomy. Earlier, she presented on algal species as a teaching fellow in Botany.

As coordinator of the CELS191 Teaching Team—comprising Andrea Brown, Dr Kim Watson, and Dr Keith King—Russell has implemented student-centred strategies that secured the 2023 University of Otago Teaching Excellence Award (team category) and the 2023 Te Whatu Kairangi Group Award for seamless ākonga transitions. The team provides pastoral care, early interventions for disengaged students, professional development for 94% highly rated demonstrators, study skills workshops for 1,200 students, and hauora support linking to university services. These efforts create inclusive environments aiding transitions from high school NCEA to tertiary study for local and international students. Russell also co-convenes Hands-On at Otago, a major secondary school outreach programme with interactive university experiences, and organized the 2020 Sending Love initiative for community support.