Dr Andrew Potter

Professional biography

Andrew completed his BSc degree in Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh in 2006, and went on to study a PhD in algorithmic number theory at the University of Bristol, under the supervision of Prof Jonathan Pila. He graduated in 2010, with a thesis entitled Computing the factors of the cyclotomic polynomial.

He then went on to study a PGDE in Secondary Education at the University of Edinburgh, and taught mathematics in secondary school for 3 years, and then in further education for a further 4 years.

Andrew joined the Open University in 2014 as an Associate Lecturer (AL). During his time as an AL, he taught at all undergraduate and postgraduate levels: on MU123, MST124, MST125, MST224, M337, M823 and M836.

Andrew became a Staff Tutor in 2018, and served as Deputy Associate Dean (Academic Excellence) from 2021 to 2024, and in 2024 was appointed as the Director of STEM Equality Diversity and Inclusion. He is also currently the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead for the School of Mathematics & Statistics, and chairs the School's Athena Swan Self-Assessment Team.

Andrew also maintains a strong interest in outreach and external engagement, having served as the External Engagement Lead for the School of Mathematics & Statistics. In 2023 he became the STEM Media Fellow for the Schools of Mathematics & Statistics, Engineering & Innovation, and Computing & Communications, where he provides academic oversight for OpenLearn and the Open University's partnership with the BBC.

Research interests

Andrew is interested in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in STEM, particularly in mathematics, and in inclusive approaches to external engagement and outreach. His interests in the scholarship of teaching and learning include:

• inclusive curriculum
• inclusive teaching and learning
• LGBTQ+ inclusion
• virtual internships for underrepresented students
• blended/hybrid synchronous learning (simultaneous face-to-face and online events)
• student perceptions of the usefulness of mathematics
• bilingual Welsh/English teaching and learning
• the development of Good Mathematical Communication skills

Teaching interests

Andrew has been a member of the following module teams:

• MU123 Discovering mathematics
• M337 Complex analysis
• M836 Coding theory

Impact and engagement

Andrew contributes regularly to outreach and external engagement activities such as Maths Week Scotland. He particularly enjoys running workshops and designing activities on codebreaking and cryptography.

International links

Andrew participated in the 2023 Shanghai Open University International Visiting Scholars Program. He joined 11 other visiting scholars from open and distance learning providers from the United Kingdom, Cyprus, the United States, Jamaica, South Africa, Tanzania, Mauritius, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.