Role
Laurence Shaw is a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics in the School of Science and Technology.
He specialises in probability and statistics but also teaches pure mathematics and professional skills modules. Most of his teaching is on the Mathematics cluster of courses and he is currently the module leader for Professional Mathematics Skills, Applied Statistics (Year 3), Mathematical Enterprise, and Mathematical Modelling & Quality Control for Business (Year 2). He is also the Year 2 Tutor. Laurence also teaches on the Stochastic Processes module (Year 3) as well as teaching mathematics and statistics to first-year Forensic Science students within the Professional Skills for Forensic Science and Technical Skills for Forensic Science modules along with occasional guest lectures for 2nd/3rd year Forensics students.
Career overview
Laurence achieved a BA (Hons) in Mathematics from Homerton College, Cambridge in 2010, an MSc in Statistics and Applied Probability from the University of Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé in 2012 and a PhD in Mathematics from the same institution in 2016. Throughout 2016, Laurence also undertook a series of short-term research positions at the University of Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, acting as a statistical partner in projects with the Schools of Medicine, Engineering, Biosciences and Veterinary Science. He has been a lecturer at NTU since 2017, achieving SFHEA status in 2023 and winning the Vice Chancellor's Outstanding Early Career Teacher Award in 2019 for his work on making the lecture theatre a more active learning environment.
Research areas
Laurence's main research area is in the scholarship of teaching and learning mathematics in higher education, with a particular focus on embedding employability skills into the curriculum and creating a fair and inclusive teaching and assessment environment. He also has research interests in epidemic modelling using probability theory, namely branching processes and Markov chains. This was the subject of his doctoral thesis. He is also active in multi-disciplinary research with collaborators in medicine, sports science, and the biosciences.
Laurence offers projects to BSc and MSc Mathematics students allowing them to explore statistical methods and machine learning through applied areas such as sporting prediction, industrial logistics, and epidemic modelling.
External activity
Laurence is the external examiner for the MSc Data Science course at the University of Essex (2022-present) and has been an invited speaker on teaching, learning, and assessment practice at the following events:
University of Manchester Education Seminar Series (February 2025)
University of Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé Maths Teaching Ideas Forum (March 2023);
University of Bath Centre for Learning & Teaching Lunchtime Hub (April 2022);
Sheffield Hallam University Department of Engineering and Mathematics invited talk (November 2020).
Publications
Journal article
SHAW, L.M., 2023. MSOR Connections, 21 (1), pp. 52-57. ISSN 1473-4869
BRUINVELS, G., BLAGROVE, R.C., GOLDSMITH, E., SHAW, L., MARTIN, D. and PIASECKI, J., 2022. Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (20): 13622. ISSN 1661-7827
SHAW, L.M. and TRANTER, M.R., 2021. Teaching Mathematics and its Applications: An Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé Journal of the IMA. ISSN 0268-3679
BLANCHARD, A.M., STALEY, C.E., SHAW, L., WATTEGEDERA, S.R., BAUMBACH, C.-M., MICHLER, J.K., RUTLAND, C., BACK, C., NEWBOLD, N., ENTRICAN, G. and TÖTEMEYER, S., 2021. Infection and Immunity, 89 (10): e00270-21. ISSN 0019-9567
Research report
CHARLES, K. and SHAW, L., 2024. Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé: Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé.
Conference contribution
SHAW, L. and MARSHALL, C., 2025. In: Maths Education Seminar Series, University of Manchester, 20 February 2025.
SHAW, L., 2024. In: BELONG Inclusive Teaching Mini-Conference, Online, 23-24 June 2024.
SOUTO, A., BUGLASS, S. and SHAW, L., 2024. In: TILT Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé. Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, 18-19 June 2024.
PLATT, R., SHAW, L. and CHAPPELL, D., 2023. In: CETL-MSOR Conference 2023, Cardiff University, Cardiff, 7-8 September 2023.
SHAW, L., JOHNSTON, J., RIXON, E. and PLATT, R., 2023. In: School of Science and Technology Success for All Symposium, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, 6 June 2023.
PLATT, R., GRAY, J. and SHAW, L., 2023. In: TILT Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, 20 June 2023.
SHAW, L. and HIND, J., 2023. In: Project-based and Synoptic Modules, University of Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, 10 May 2023.
SHAW, L. and HIND, J., 2023. In: TILT Flexible and Online Learning Group Symposium 2023, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, 27-28 February 2023.
SHAW, L., 2022. In: CETL-MSOR 2022, Abertay University, Dundee, 1-2 September 2022.
SHAW, L. PLATT, R. and HIND, J., 2022. In: NTU Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, 21 June 2022.
Newspaper or popular journal contribution
SHAW, L., 2022. The Conversation.
SHAW, L., 2021. The Conversation.
Press expertise
Laurence is an expert in mathematics and statistics. He has written articles for The Conversation (see above) and has appeared on BBC Radio Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé discussing the mathematics behind the national lottery in 2021, and finding a solution to the "doors vs wheels" question that went viral in 2022.