Samuel

I attended Torquay Boys' Grammar School in Devon for both my GCSEs (11A* 2A) and A-levels (A* A-level Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and A AS-level Further Additional Mathematics).

It was at TBGS that I found my passion for Physics and Mathematical Physics, first in a lecture from old boy and Oxford Professor Chris Lintott (who convinced me that Physics was far more interesting than Chemistry), and then on a random Monday afternoon in 2017 when I sat the UK Physics Challenge paper and was awarded for my performance with a place in the 11-student UK squad for the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad. My experience training with the team opened by eyes to the wonders of Mathematical Physics, leading me to read first Physics (BA) and then Mathematical and Theoretical Physics (MMathPhys) at St John's College, University of Oxford.

It was also at school that I first discovered the joy of tutoring - first leading GCSE Astronomy classes during lunchtimes, then helping create and deliver lessons for A-level Computer Science. I continued teaching once I started at university, providing my school with mock Oxbridge interviews, tutoring online since 2020, and delivering in person teaching to my coursemates.

Having graduated from Oxford with a First and a Distinction, I'm taking time out of academia to decide on a specialty in which to pursue a PhD, while keeping up with teaching so that I can continue to pass on my knowledge to the next generation, help and inspire students to achieve their full potentials, and see Maths and Physics from new angles every day.

It's hard to lock down my teaching style when no two lessons are the same, because no two students are the same. That said, I do follow a set of guiding principles:

I produce all of my own notes, to ensure that they're of the highest quality and that I truly know every topic inside-out.

I encourage a holistic approach, linking topics within a subject (did you know that thermodynamics is just an ensemble of classical mechanics?) and between different subjects (did you know that gravitational potential is just an integral?), to keep things interesting and promote a deeper understanding.

I promote solving problems, whether from past papers or other sources, as the best way to practice and revise the subject.

Most importantly, I maintain constant communication with my students and their parents so that the experience is always tailored to suit THEM.

When I'm not tutoring, I spend time powerlifting and learning Greek as well as learning and doing more Physics while I decide on an area of Mathematical Physics in which to pursue a PhD. My current research interests include non-invertible symmetries, a new and exciting area of research that allows for new ways to study string theory, which is our best bet for a complete theory of everything, and deformation quantisation, the study of the mathematical origins of quantum mechanics.

I also maintain a YouTube channel where I make educational videos about interesting mathematical niceties I come across, my research, and courses from A-level calculus to graduate-level quantum mechanics.