Rate My Professor Paul Muir

Paul Muir serves as a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Physics, part of the Division of Sciences at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. A native of Invercargill, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Physics and Chemistry, followed by a Master of Science in Physics, both at the University of Otago. Throughout his career at the university, Muir has focused on professional practice in physics education, earning a promotion in 2023 that acknowledges his sustained contributions to teaching and departmental service. He delivers hands-on laboratory sessions and tutorials for core undergraduate courses, specifically PHSI 191 Biological Physics, including its dedicated Summer School offering, PHSI 131 Physical Law and its Applications, and PHSI 132 Fundamentals of Modern Physics. These courses form essential foundations for students pursuing studies in physical sciences, health sciences, and related fields.

Muir's influence extends through his scholarly contributions to physics pedagogy. He is a co-author of the textbook 'Introduction to Biological Physics for the Health and Life Sciences,' published in its second edition in 2019 by John Wiley & Sons. Collaborating with Kirsten Franklin, Terry Scott, Lara Wilcocks, Paul Yates, and fellow Department of Physics staff, this comprehensive volume equips students in medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, and life sciences with biophysical principles. Additionally, Muir co-authored 'First-year physics and high school outreach at Otago' (Squire, J., Muir, P., & Blakie, B., 2021), published in the Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute of Physics (NZIP) & Physikos Conference. His creative support for research includes producing illustrations for space physics studies, such as visualizations of solar flare impacts on ionospheric propagation and aviation. Muir also participates in public science outreach, including the University of Otago Physics Department's organization of New Zealand's first science festival in Niue in 2023.