Our Expert Tutors and Counsellors

Jason Smith (Director)

Jason is the founder of UES and the curriculum lead for Mathematics and Science. He gained a First Class Master’s degree with Honours from The University of Nottingham, and went on to earn a PhD in Applied Mathematics. He then worked as a nuclear scientist for the European Commission. Jason is a keen sportsman, having competed internationally at Taekwondo. He also has a passion for travel, having visited much of the known (and little known) world, and published articles about his adventures.

Throughout this time, Jason has tutored privately to children studying for a range of exams including GCSE, IB, A-Level and university modules, but now focuses on the US entrance exams, namely the ACT, SAT, SAT II Subjects Tests in Maths and Physics, and GRE and GMAT. His approach is to give students a deep understanding of - and interest in - the fundamentals of maths. This approach has helped get students in to top colleges across the US, including Harvard, UPenn, Duke, and many more.

Dan Escott (Academic Director)

Dan is our Academic Director and leads on all learning and teaching at UES. His experience is of teaching in schools in Philadelphia followed by many years of private SAT/ACT tuition in America and the UK. Having moved to London with over 5,000 hours of test prep experience, Dan utilizes his past decade of work in the United States as an ACT & SAT tutor to meet the needs of all students. He has taken over 80 ACTs and SATs in order to fully understand the test patterns and to be able to deconstruct both tests into clear, learnable entities.

Collaborating with his students, Dan breaks down each section into question types, patterns, and strategies that can be mastered through practice. This approach empowers his students to develop comfort, proficiency, and overall fluency with the standardized test. Dan works with both the students and their parents to ensure that his students set goals and remain accountable through purpose-driven homework. Interpersonal relationships are important to Dan, so he focuses on developing a strong rapport with his students and getting to know their motivators.

Dan holds a BA from Wake Forest University and an M.Ed from Eastern University. Prior to becoming a full time test tutor in 2014, Dan was a member of the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows’ eleventh cohort, an organization that seeks to bring high quality teachers to the most economically disadvantaged schools in the Philadelphia School District. Within the PSD, Dan taught social studies to students from 7th-12th grade and ran SAT workshops. Outside of education, Dan has recently relocated with his wife and two cats from Philadelphia to Crouch End. Dan religiously follows the Philadelphia 76ers (his hometown’s basketball franchise) and remains active through basketball, running, swimming, and lifting.

Arun Janssens (Lead Tutor)

Originally from Japan, Arun moved to the United States to attend Brown University, where he earned a BA in Biology. During is degree, Arun worked as a Teaching Assistant for an advanced cell biology seminar where he helped graduate and undergraduate students synthesize information from lecture material and understand key points from assigned research literature.

After graduating, Arun continued in the education sector and became an Assistant Science Teacher in New York City where he taught students with learning difficulties such as ADHD, dyslexia and autism. With abilities and needs varying from student to student, Arun's challenge was to identify key areas where his students required support and design personalised lesson plans to target those areas accordingly. This attention to the specific needs of students has served him well at UES, as tailors each lesson towards the needs of the individual pupil.

As someone who independently applied to US universities as an international student, Arun has a personal understanding of how daunting the admissions process can feel from the outside looking in. Arun looks to make the process feel more accessible to students who may not be well acquainted with standardised tests or the US approach to education, while motivating them to do their best. Arun has passed all sections of the SAT and ACT with full marks and teaches all aspects of the exams.Outside of tutoring, Arun works as a Community Disability Advocate where he empowers clients to advocate for their rights and supports them as they engage with their communities.

Laurence Varda

Born in the UK, Laurence grew up in Palo Alto, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. He earned his B.S. in Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego, and went on to do his M.A. in Professional Acting at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In addition to tutoring, Laurence is an actor, and has toured nationally and internationally. He is passionate about theatre, cooking, and martial arts.

Laurence believes that working within a growth mindset is key to helping students maximize their potential, and that too many students incorrectly believe that the limiting factor in their success is their innate ability, as opposed to the effectiveness of their strategies. He is greatly motivated by his own experience in education, and understands how valuable it is for students to experience successes in their study that allow them to develop positive associations with the subjects they are covering. Having taught and studied in both the US and UK, Laurence has a deep understanding of the differences in approach, curriculum, and content between the two countries, and is experienced in bridging these gaps. He has tutored both in test prep, and as a supplement to regular classroom education. At UES, Laurence tutors all sections of the ACT, SAT, ISEE and SSAT, as well as both levels of the SAT Math Subject Tests.

Laura Trosser

Laura graduated from Harvard University in 2016 with an AB cum laude in Comparative Literature with a citation in French. Her undergraduate studies focussed on drama and poetry, specialising in 20th-21st century reworkings of Greek tragedy in English and French.

Before hopping the pond to study, Laura grew up in London. She attended the Tiffin Girls' School before joining the sixth form at King's College School, Wimbledon in the first year girls were admitted. With a keen interest in maths and physics as well as modern languages and literatures, she pursued her interest in a wide range of subjects through the IB diploma.

Having applied independently to US universities from the UK, Laura is sympathetic to the challenges of moving from the UK system to the US. She now works to make the process an easier and more enjoyable one for international students through her tutoring work and as a volunteer Harvard interviewer. Laura offers tutoring on all sides of the SAT and ACT tests.

Alongside her tutoring, Laura is studying for an MFA in Professional Acting from LAMDA.

Laura teaches:

• ACT: all sections
• SAT: all sections

Olivia Munk

Olivia grew up in Queens, New York and attended Harvard University in 2012. She graduated Cum Laude in 2016 with a degree in English and a minor in Mind/Brain/Behavior. At Harvard, she was an active theatre director and wrote for The Crimson's magazine, Fifteen Minutes ,  for which she served as Editor-at-Large. She blogged for Harvard's Office for the Arts, and was a Becky Greenwald Ledecky Fellow for Harvard Magazine, which allowed her to write columns, news articles, and personal dispatches. After graduating, she went on to pursue a Master of Studies in English (1900-present) at St. Catherine's College, Oxford. She was awarded a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa in order to found her theatre company, Part of the Main, which focuses on improving the representation of women creatives and women's stories in the professional theatre industry.

At UES Olivia specializes in assisting students with both the Maths and English sides of the SAT and the ACT, as well as the SAT Subject Tests. Olivia approaches tuition is a friendly manner, taking special consideration of a student's comfort. Olivia believes that when students feel supported in lessons, they are able to better engage and take an active role in their studies. Olivia excels at making the content approachable, particularly for students who may feel intimidated by the harder maths concepts such as algebra or complex American grammar concepts.

As well as tuition, Olivia also provides application support for personal statements, essays, and college choice. 

Holly Barker

Holly is one of our most experienced science tutors with eight years of teaching experience. She first began tutoring students as part of a programme to help disadvantaged young achievers while studying for her degree in Biochemistry at the University of Manchester. After completing her degree, her passion for science led her to complete a PhD in Clinical Neuroscience at King's College London, where she spent four years studying the pathways underlying dementia and motor neuron disease and published a handful of scientific articles on the subject.

Holly loves writing and talking to the general public about her work and has volunteered at museum events and has written scientific articles for the University magazine. Since completing her PhD, Holly has spent the past few years working as a full-time tutor and teaches a range of subjects and levels, including GCSE, IB, A-Level, AP and the SAT subject tests. She had also spent time working in the Cap de Crus National Park, teaching groups of students about biodiversity and marine ecosystems. She believes that a supportive and encouraging environment, students can realise their potential and build the confidence in their scientific ability.

Peter Woodford

A US native originally from Chicago, Peter received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, where he double majored in Philosophy and Religious Studies (2004). He went on to do a Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Stanford University, focusing on philosophy of religion and the relationship between religion and science. Peter’s PhD was awarded from Stanford University in 2013, and he first came to the UK via a 3-year postdoc at Cambridge University. In addition to tutoring, Peter is an active academic. He teaches courses in philosophy and religion at universities in the UK and has articles published in leading academic journals.

Peter has several years' experience teaching at the college level both in the US and UK, and he brings an understanding of both the US and UK systems to his tutoring. Peter covers all sections of the SAT, ACT, SSAT, and ISEE and he has a passion for learning across a range of subjects. He enjoys helping students break down the tests and the types of questions asked, so that they feel comfortable and prepared on test-day.

Outside of tutoring, Peter mostly goes on trips with his family and chases after his very active 2 yr old daughter, making sure she doesn’t injure herself. He loves hiking, reading, and music; while he continues to follow sports in the US, he is developing a passion for football and cricket.