Mathematics and Physics

Eleonora Crestani - Head of Mathematics and Physics Faculty

Eleonora Crestani studied Mathematics at the University of Padova (the same one where Galileo taught) and completed her PhD there on Pure Maths in 2009. Between her PhD and starting teaching at Secondary school,  she has been an Assistant Professor in Italy and Visiting Researcher both in the UK and USA. During this period, she taught Calculus and Algebra  to Undergraduate Maths and Computer Science students but she mostly studied, did research and wrote papers on generation problems in groups and  probabilistic group theory. As well as maths, she loves reading, watching movies  and hiking especially on the Alps close to her hometown.

Grace Bowen - 2ic and Teacher of Mathematics

Grace was born and raised in London and loved exploring the city growing up. She studied Mathematics at the University of Bristol and enjoyed topics such as Bayesian Modelling and Moden Mathematical Biology. She then completed her teacher training at the University of York before returning to the big city and has never looked back! In her free time, Grace enjoys what she refers to as 'passive hobbies' such as crocheting, reading and all things puzzle related. She also occasionally partakes in hill walking, with a particular fondness for the Lake District

Sean Blake - Teacher of Mathematics

Sean Blake studied Mathematics at Newcastle University, where he completed his Master's dissertation on cosmological inflation. After moving to London, he worked in sales and marketing before finishing his Postgraduate Diploma in Education at UCL. Outside of school Sean spends a lot of his time running, trying not to get hurt practising jiu-jitsu or too despondent supporting Newcastle United. 

Ewa Jinman - Teacher of Mathematics & Head of Garrett House

Ewa Jinman read Mathematics at Warsaw University in Poland. During her degree programme she studied topics including Number Theory and Topology but her favourite was Differential Equations. Upon graduating she taught Mathematics in secondary schools and sixth forms. In addition she also taught English, with an emphasis on grammar, to secondary school students in Poland. She moved to England in 1997 and since then her teaching, and heart, has remained with Mathematics. Outside of school she enjoys travelling, reading about Psychology (especially the works of Malcolm Gladwell) and DIY. She also reminisces about her school days where she played netball and represented the school in handball.

Jialu Zhang - Teacher of Mathematics

Jialu Zhang studied mathematics at King’s College London before branching off into the darker realms of educational research at Warwick University. His specialities lie in complex networks and game theory, enjoying real life applications of written theory. Jialu has a variety of hobbies; being a qualified scuba-diver, avid chess player, concert pianist and fantasy novel eccentric. Although he won’t admit it, his favourite thing to do is to tackle complex maths problems for a worrying amount of time. He loves everything maths and numbers related, always appreciating an equation or maths joke!

Nick Dobson - Teacher of Mathematics

Nick Dobson left rural Wiltshire to study Mathematics at Birmingham University, and then completed his PGCE in secondary education at the same institution. He moved to London in 2009 and has taught Mathematics in the capital ever since, filling several different teaching roles over the passing years. Outside of school, Nick loves all things sport but unfortunately watches more than he participates in these days. He also tries to get away from the city and be around nature whenever possible.   

Laura Inal - Teacher of Mathematics

Laura studied Mathematics at the University of Wolverhampton, where she particularly enjoyed applied mathematics and completed research at dissertation level on fluid dynamics. Following this she completed her teacher training in Southampton and focused on sixth form teaching, completing placements and then working full time in sixth form colleges. In her spare time, Laura enjoys playing board games, going running and spending time with her dogs.

Brandon Angulo Custodio - Teacher of Mathematics

Brandon Angulo studied Mathematics at Royal Holloway University, where he developed his interest in scientific programming, statistical inference, and financial mathematics. He enhanced his teaching skills through Kingston university’s PGCE program, with a focus on the value and purpose of reflective practice. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys playing football and exploring new cultures and places to enrich his perspective.

Cyril Cannamela - Teacher of Mathematics

Cyril Cannamela studied Mathematics and Science at the Ecole Polytechnique in France and then specialised in Economics and Financial Mathematics. He then embraced a 20-year long career in Finance trading Equity Derivatives products (Options on stocks or indices) in London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. In 2018, he decided to quit the Finance industry, to join teaching and hence to come back to what he likes most: solving maths problems and conveying his passion for this subject. He also enjoys activities such as reading, watching movies, hiking, sailing or kite surfing.

Sacha Wight - Teacher of Mathematics & Head of Naoroji House

Sacha studied Maths and Statistics at the University of Bath, with a particular focus on applied maths such as mathematical biology (the maths behind disease spread/population fluctuations), medical statistics (the maths behind medical trials) and financial stochastic processes (the maths behind gambling and financial models).  Prior to working at HWSF, Sacha worked at a secondary school in South London as a maths teacher, KS5 high prior attainment coordinator and finally as a head of year.  Outside of teaching, Sacha enjoys watching and participating in most sports and is a keen runner and a long-suffering Scotland rugby fan.

Minas Bacharis - Teacher of Physics

Minas Bacharis is a teacher of Physics at Harris Westminster. Dr Bacharis completed a BSc degree in Physics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, an MSc in Process Systems Engineering at Cranfield University, followed by a PhD and postdoctoral research in Plasma Physics at Imperial College. His research focused on the study of complex plasmas and their impact in magnetic confinement fusion. In his spare time, he enjoys books, movies, table tennis and chess.

Armand Auquier - Teacher of Physics

Armand Auquier studied Physics with Theoretical Physics at King’s College London, specialising for his MSci in Solid State Physics, Computational Methods, and Quantum Approximations in Nanoparticles. Using a global epidemic as a branching point, Armand completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Education at UCL, with a passion for scientific abstraction, and demonstrating abstract Physics effects to curious minds. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys all formats of games, board or video; reading good non-fiction books on his (many) passions, and e-sports.

James O'Riordan - Teacher of Physics

James O'Riordan is a Physics teacher at Harris Westminster. He is a former student at the school, who after studying Physics at Queen Mary University of London, became a teacher and eventually returned to HWSF. James was born in London and has lived all over the city. He attended HWSF as a disadvantged student and feels strongly about the importance and value of education. He enjoys all aspects of Physics but is particularly passionate about Astrophysics and Cosmology. Outside of school, James enjoys travelling around the world in the school holidays.