Dr Susan Pawley

Professional biography

Dr Susan Pawley is the Director of eSTEeM, the STEM centre of scholarship and innovation and the Chair of the University Scholarship Steering Group. In addition to these leadership roles, she is a Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor.  She joined the Open University as an Associate Lecturer in 2005, contributing to various Stage One and Applied Mathematics modules, in 2014 she became a Staff Tutor.  She has a BSc in Mathematics and Engineering and a PhD in Theoretical Mechanics from Nottingham University.

Dr Pawley is Co-Editor of the inaugural publication of the 13th eSTEeM Annual Conference Proceedings titled "Sharing Best Practice- Implementing What Works," which provides a supportive environment for authors of SoTL papers to gain valuable experience in peer-reviewed academic writing.  

In 2025, she was appointed as an Editor for MSOR Connections, a peer-reviewed research journal that publishes articles on innovative learning, teaching, assessment, and support in Mathematics, Statistics, and Operational Research in Higher Education.

She has recently been selected to join the EuroSoTL Collaborative Writing Group (ESCWG) programme, with a group theme of Contextual Influences on SoTL Support, which will explore how institutional and individual contexts influence SoTL engagement. It seeks to understand how departmental cultures, career policies, and disciplines shape SoTL practices.

She is also Vice-Chair (Operations) of the sigma Network steering group, a network that champions the provision of maths and stats support in Higher Education, and a member of the Horizons in STEM Network committee.

Research interests (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning)

Susan's research interests focus on student support.  Recent projects include:

• Supporting students with maths anxiety.
• Maximising online tutorial attendance. 
• Supporting students preparing for remote exams.
• Supporting students preparing for study in mathematics with an online study site. 

Teaching interests

Susan is a module team member of MST124 Essential Mathematics 1 having previously been chair for a number of years.