Phillip Moxley

Experienced Engineer and Researcher Offering Online Maths and Physics Tuition

Maths and physics work best when you can see why they matter. I’ve spent more than ten years using both every day as a consultant engineer and university researcher, and I want to help students build the same confident, practical understanding. I don’t just want them to get through the next exam. I want them to understand the subject well enough that new problems stop feeling intimidating.

My background

I work as a researcher at the University of Southampton. My work covers human response to vibration and motion, including whole-body vibration, motion sickness, and the performance and injury risks faced by people operating high-speed boats. Before and alongside my research, I’ve worked as a consultant engineer, applying mechanics, dynamics, signal analysis and statistics to real problems for industry and defence clients.

That means the topics students often find hardest are the tools I use all the time: algebra, trigonometry, calculus, vectors, forces and motion, oscillations, energy, and data analysis. I can show students where these ideas actually turn up, from how a car seat isolates vibration to why some people get seasick and others don’t. That context often helps abstract ideas click into place.

Teaching and mentoring experience

Explaining complex ideas clearly is a central part of my job. I regularly present research at international conferences and to non-specialist audiences, and I contribute to international standards work, where precise and accessible communication is essential. I’ve also mentored PhD students through their research, helping them develop the problem-solving skills, independence and confidence they need to tackle unfamiliar challenges.

Mentoring has taught me that every learner is different. Some students need to rebuild the basics they missed, some need help with exam technique, and some are ready to be stretched beyond the syllabus. I’m comfortable adapting to each of these, and I take time early on to understand where a student is and where they want to get to.

How I teach

My sessions are relaxed, structured and focused on understanding rather than memorising. I typically:

Start by finding the gaps in a student’s knowledge so we work on what actually matters
Explain ideas several ways (visually, algebraically and through real examples) until one makes sense
Work through problems together, then gradually step back so the student builds independence
Teach the habits that earn marks: clear working, checking units, sanity-checking answers and reading questions carefully
Use past papers and exam-style questions as exams approach

Online lessons use a shared digital whiteboard, so we can sketch diagrams, write out working and annotate problems together just as we would in person. I can also share notes after sessions so students have something to revise from.

Who I can help

I tutor maths and physics at [GCSE / A-level / university level, adjust as appropriate], including mechanics, maths topics and introductory engineering. I’m particularly well suited to students who are considering engineering, physics or another STEM subject at university and want to understand how their studies connect to real careers. I’m also happy to talk through university choices, applications and what studying and working in engineering is really like.

I also enjoy working with students who’ve lost confidence. Many people decide early on that they’re “not a maths person.” In my experience that’s rarely true; usually something just wasn’t explained in a way that worked for them.

Get in touch

If you’d like to discuss what you or your child needs, please send me a message. I’m happy to have a short initial chat to talk through goals and make sure we’re a good fit before booking a first lesson.