Matt Lawrence (he/him)

As a Pastoral Mentor for Biosciences, one of my main responsibilities is to proactively reach out to and support students with any academic progression, wellbeing or accessibility concerns. I regularly meet with students, either 1:1 or through support drop-ins. I act as a bridge between academic leads and wellbeing/welfare to connect students with all support services – internal and external – which may be required. Staff can signpost students to me; students can also refer themselves for pastoral mentoring. 

A key aspect of this role is that pastoral mentors sit in departments as academic members of staff, which gives us the programme specific knowledge to help you succeed in your studies.

I am father to two teenagers and a Saudi desert dog (who you may see taking me for walks around Exeter!). My background is in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL - French and Spanish), English for Academic Purposes (EAP), and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). I have worked as a language tutor in military, school, university, business and government settings in Chile, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Spain. After 15 years of supporting students as an Academic English tutor at INTO University of Exeter, I have now specialised in supporting students pastorally on a full-time basis.

Recent training I have completed includes:

Mental Health First Aid (MFHA) Level 3

Men's Mental Health NCFE CACHE Level 2

Suicide and Self Harm Prevention NCFE CACHE Level 2

Mental Health Advocacy in the Workplace NCFE CACHE Level 2

Trauma Informed Practice (Plymouth County Council)

J9 Domestic Abuse Support 

YGam Gambling and Gaming Awareness for Educators

Sexual Health and HIV Awareness (Eddystone Trust)

Motivational Interviewing (MI) counselling techniques (University of Exeter)

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and occasionally provide workshops to students on Academic Writing Skills as well as Ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). I am collaborating with the International Study Centre (ISC) on an Education Incubator Project exploring students' experiences of AI use. Within the Biosciences Department, I am a member of the Education Committee and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

I am a visiting lecturer at the Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation (CETI) at the University of Westminster where I contribute to collaborative research on AI vs lecturer feedack and critical thinking. My chapter in our upcoming edited book collection focuses on Digital Academic Reading. I contribute to materials development, teacher induction sessions, and assessment for the pre-sessional course, as well as marking on the Law Foundation Programme.