Matt Mason: Departmental teaching

As University Physiologist, I am involved in lecturing, running practicals, course organisation and research project supervision within my department and beyond. Some of what I do is outlined below. I hold a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education, I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, now Advance HE, the national body dedicated to enhancing the quality of education across UK universities, and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators.

Within the subject areas I teach, I have taken a lead in introducing 'flipped classroom' teaching to NST and M&VST courses, which has been featured in a University of Cambridge teaching case-study and an educational publication comparing this form of active learning to our supervision system. I have also developed clinical linker lectures for medics and vets, introduced extension sessions and office hours into our second-year course and I am always working to improve resources for practical classes. I created online course structures for three physiology courses here in Cambridge, to allow for teaching to continue in a logical and structured way throughout the pandemic, including the creation of a set of online practical classes which used real data and encouraged active learning. Some of my teaching publications are listed on my publications page.

I was delighted to be awarded the Physiological Society's Otto Hutter Physiology Teaching Prize for 2025, and in 2018 I won a Pilkington Prize for Teaching from the University of Cambridge. Click on this link to see a video about my teaching.

National and international initiatives

In collaboration with former Cambridge medical student Cong Cong Bo, I have been producing online, supervision-style teaching presentations on our Hippomedics YouTube channel, covering some of the areas of physiology that students often have trouble with, using animations to clarify key principles of physiology. Our site, www.hippomedics.com, currently has well over half a million views worldwide. Click on this link to see them!

I was lead physiology consultant on the Naked Scientists' "Naked Body" video podcast series, aimed at introducing physiological topics to the general public, and presenter of the introductory podcast, "What is Physiology?".

I am the academic lead for a new initiative for the Physiological Society, where we have created a series of training videos for new lecturers in physiology. The first of these I presented myself, but later videos were presented by other academics from around the UK. The videos are now available on their online Training Hub, and I am now actively involved in the next phase of the Training Hub projects.

Research projects for students

I supervise research projects for final-year undergraduate students reading part II PDN and occasionally other part II or part III courses. These are typically in my research area of the structure and function of the ear, but sometimes in other areas of comparative anatomy and physiology. The following prizes, publications and conference lectures have arisen from research projects undertaken by undergraduates working in my laboratory:

Debaig, L. (2025) Structure and function of the malleus-incus articulation in mammals. Winner, John Ray Trust Science Prize.

Mason, M.J. & Lewis, M.A. (2024) Structure and scaling of the middle ear in domestic dog breeds. Journal of Anatomy 245: 324-338.

Burford, C.M., Cornwall, H.L., Farr, M.R.B., Santoni, C.M., Mason, M.J. (2023) Development and anatomy of the human middle ear. In: Goycoolea, M.V., Selaimen da Costa, S., de Souza, C., Paparella, M.M. (eds) Textbook of Otitis Media, pp.29-48. Springer, Cham. Bringing together work from four of my former students!

Manoharan, S.M., Gray, R., Hamilton, J. & Mason, M.J. (2023) Clinical lessons from microCT based reconstructions of the internal vascular channels of the auditory ossicles. Poster presented at BACO International, 2023: Highly Commended.

Manoharan, S.M., Gray, R., Hamilton, J. & Mason, M.J. (2022) Internal vascular channel architecture in human auditory ossicles. Journal of Anatomy 241:245-258.

Mason, M.J., Wenger, L.M.D., Hammer, Ø. & Blix, A.S. (2020) Structure and function of respiratory turbinates in phocid seals. Polar Biology43: 157-173.

Santoni, C. & Mason, M.J. (2019) Turning points: cochlear development in the human embryo. Presented at the Anatomical Society Winter Meeting, December 2019. Runner-up, Young Investigator Oral Presentation Prize.

Mason, M.J., Wenger, L., Hammer, Ø. & Blix, A.S. (2018) Bearded seal maxilloturbinates. Joint runner-up, Anatomical Society Best Image Prize, October 2018.

Wenger, L. (2017) Nasal turbinate scaling in mammals. Winner, John Ray Trust Science Prize.

Marway, P. (2017) Micro-CT scanning and reconstruction of the human inner ear: in search of clinically useful measurements. Presented at the Institute of Anatomical Sciences Spring Scientific Meeting, April 2017.

Mason, M.J., Cornwall, H.L. & Smith, E.S. (2016) Ear structures of the naked mole-rat, Heterocephalus glaber, and its relatives (Rodentia: Bathyergidae). PLoS ONE 11(12): e0167079.

Burford, C.M. & Mason, M.J. (2016) Early development of the malleus and incus in humans. Journal of Anatomy 229: 857-870.

Burford, C. (2015) Putting the handle back on the hammer: ossicle development in Professor Boyd’s embryos. Presented at the Anatomical Society Winter Meeting, December 2015. Joint winner, Young Investigator Oral Presentation Prize.

Lavender, D., Taraskin, S.N. & Mason, M.J. (2011) Mass distribution and rotational inertia of "microtype" and "freely mobile" middle ear ossicles in rodents. Hearing Research282: 97-107.

Neary, M.T., Reid, D.G., Mason, M.J., Friščić, T., Duer, M.J. & Cusack, M. (2011) Contrasts between organic participation in apatite biomineralization in brachiopod shell and vertebrate bone identified by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 8: 282-288.

Mason, M.J., Lai, F.W.S., Li, J.-G. & Nevo, E. (2010) Middle ear structure and bone conduction in Spalax, Eospalax and Tachyoryctes mole-rats (Rodentia: Spalacidae). Journal of Morphology271: 462-472.

Reid, D.G., Neary, M.T., Mason, M.J., Friščić, T., Duer, M.J. & Cusack, M. (2010) Calcium phosphate mineralization in phosphatic brachiopods, and vertebrates. European Cells and Materials19, suppl. 1: 10.

Farr, M.R.B. & Mason, M.J. (2008) Middle ear morphology in dormice (Rodentia: Gliridae). Mammalian Biology73: 330-334.

Argyle, E.C. & Mason, M.J. (2008) Middle ear structures of Octodon degus (Rodentia: Octodontidae), in comparison with those of subterranean caviomorphs. Journal of Mammalogy89: 1447-1455.

Mason, M.J., Lucas, S.J., Wise, E.R., Stein, R.S. & Duer, M.J. (2006) Ossicular density in golden moles (Chrysochloridae). Journal of Comparative Physiology A192: 1349-1357.

If you are a current Cambridge undergraduate interested in doing a part II research project, or a vacation research project, with me, please contact me!

Course organisation and examining

I am currently the Course Organiser for NST 1A Physiology of Organisms, and in the next academic year (2026-7) I will be Course Organizer for the new 1A Biomedical Sciences course that will replace PoO. I am either Chair of Exams, Senior Examiner or Examiner in one of the university's physiological subjects (NST or M&VST) every year.

Lecture courses

I am teaching the following Natural Sciences Tripos (NST) and Medical/Veterinary Sciences Triposes (M&VST) lecture courses within the Department of PDN in the current academic year (2025-6):

NST IA Physiology of Organisms

  • "Introduction to Physiology" (2 lectures)
  • "Hormones, Homeostasis & Equilibria (3 lectures)
  • "The Nervous System" (3 lectures)
  • "Animal Nutrient Acquisition" (3 lectures)

NST IB Physiology

  • "Endocrinology" (3 lectures)
  • "Digestive Physiology" (6 "flipped classroom" lectures)
  • "Comparative Digestive Physiology" (1 lecture)
  • "Weight Regulation and Nutrition" (2 lectures)
  • "Arctic and Desert Physiology" (2 lectures)

M&VST IA Homeostasis

  • "Digestive Physiology" (6 "flipped classroom" lectures)
  • "Autonomic Nervous System" (1 lecture)

VST IA Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology

  • "Comparative Digestive Physiology" (1 lecture)

Practical classes

I am lead demonstrator in all ten of the Medical and Veterinary 1A Homeostasis practical classes, as well as in eight of the Natural Sciences 1A Physiology of Organisms classes. I regularly update the classes, the notes that accompany them and the electronic resources, and so would welcome any suggestions for new experiments which might be interesting to explore or areas that might require more clarification.

I have recently been looking further into what students want from practical classes. The results of our survey features in an academic publication (Mason & Jooganah, 2024).

Supervision liaison

I am Supervision Liaison Officer for the Department of PDN. Please see our supervisors' website for more information about this, or feel free to contact me directly.

I have developed a comprehensive supervisors' training site to help new supervisors understand what is expected of them. This includes a video supervision, essays with marking notes, and tips from experienced supervisors and the educational literature.

Institute of Continuing Education and Masterclasses

I run an annual course for the University of Cambridge's Institute of Continuing Education summer programme, entitled "Exciting Cells: Fundamentals of Neurobiology". I also lead a University of Cambridge outreach masterclass on Cardiovascular Physiology.

College teaching

I am Robert Comline Fellow and Director of Studies in Physiology at St. Catharine's College. I supervise students from St. Catharine’s in NST IA Physiology of Organisms and NST IB Physiology, and I give occasional supervisions and seminars in M&VST 1A Homeostasis and M&VST IB Comparative Vertebrate Biology too. My priority in teaching is to develop active learning among my students, encouraging them to dive deeper into the subject without ever losing track of the key principles of the subject.