About me: Matthew Fairtlough

Researcher, lecturer and tutor in Mathematics and Computer Science

Tutor in Physics

Brief academic biography Born April 2nd 1955 in Blandford, Dorset, England Educated in the UK and USA GCE A levels in Mathematics, Physics, French and German BSc Honours Mathematics (I), Leeds University 1987 PhD Pure Mathematics, Leeds University 1991 Research fellow, Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh 1990-1992 Lecturer in Theoretical Computer Science, University of Sheffield 1992-2004

Qualifications and experience

I have a BSc in Mathematics, a PhD in Pure Mathematics and over 13 years of experience teaching mathematical techniques and Software Engineering to large classes of undergraduate students, as well as supervising MSc students and PhD students in Computer Science and Software Engineering. I have also studied Physics as part of my BSc. I have experience teaching Royal Society Mathematics Masterclasses to GCSE level students. I have a deep understanding and a passion for teaching Mathematics and ICT (Computer Science and Software Engineering) at all levels and a wealth of ideas for making the relevant concepts engaging and enjoyable, from building models through class discussions to playing games and using software packages. I have considerable experience in using IT to enrich my teaching, including interactive web pages, software tools, email discussion lists and automated marking. I like to prepare thoroughly for classes and tutorials but I am happy to improvise at short notice.

I am an independent researcher who is particularly interested in Computation, Logic, Geometry, Physics and the philosophy of Mathematics and I am engaged in writing papers on modal Logic and its applications in Computer Science. I have long experience in using computer tools to do Mathematics and to formally verify IT systems, and have recently used Mathematica to build and animate an exact model of a dynamic three-dimensional lattice of my own invention. Here are the Mathematica package files. I have a vision of building software tools to make many areas of Mathematics more enjoyable and tangible to students.

Tutoring

I provide tutoring from GCSE level to GCE `AS' and `A' level in Mathematics, Physics and Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and tutoring at degree level in Computer Science and aspects of Mathematics, especially Discrete Mathematics and Logic. I can also help with tuition in Chemistry to GCSE level if required.
My rates for GCSE tution are £25 per hour and for AS level and above they are £30 per hour.

See my tutoring page for further details of my rates and how to contact me.

Personal and managerial skills

I have experience in winning funding for and managing international research projects. My long experience with co-counselling and my natural inclination make me a good listener and keenly aware of issues such as cultural diversity and bullying. I am a parent and I like to work with children as much as adults although I have more experience of adult education.

Additional information

I like to read modern literature in French and English and I have travelled in France, Germany, Austria, Australia, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, the US and Italy; I speak French and German fluently and know some Spanish and Flemish. I keep up to date with advances in science and technology by reading the journal Nature and using the Internet. I also love singing, especially choral singing, dancing, walking on the moors, camping, swimming and keeping fit in the gym.