Student Reference

Phil was an inspiration to me during my final year at Oxford University. I was lucky enough to have him as a tutor throughout the year, as he ran the classes for the Perturbation Methods and Applied Complex Variables modules. These courses were finished by the end of the second term, but Phil was incredibly generous with his time, always replying to emails and requests for help right up to the day of my final exam at the end of the third term. His enthusiasm for Maths is infectious, and his generosity knows no bounds.

I left Oxford having gained a 1st, and I can honestly put this down to the help that Phil gave me. My marks for the Perturbation and Applied Complex Variables exams were well beyond those in other topics and dragged me over the grade boundary. It was not only the exceptionally well planned teaching of difficult topics that helped me achieve. Every week Phil would provide the class with handouts relating to interesting research around the current problem sheet which helped to generate interest in the material and a desire to learn more. He also has the rare ability to get a group of students enthusiastic about Maths at 9am on a Monday morning.

It is Phil’s dedication that most impressed me, and I am eternally grateful for it. Phil was always ready to stay behind and answer questions after class, or if he couldn’t stay he would organise a time to come and see him; nothing was too much trouble. It was this willingness to help that got me through the low points of my final year’s learning.

Phil is a very gifted teacher, and any students fortunate enough to have him in the future are sure to succeed.

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