About me
I spend most of my time (work and leisure) immersed in some form of the English language. I read and write for pleasure, and work closely with writers, artists, and academics in the pursuit of clearly expressed words. I live, with a wife and a dog, in a quiet part of Cornwall, but communicate and work with people all over the UK and Europe.
I have a first-class degree in Engineering from the University of Exeter and a PhD in Aerodynamics from the University of Cambridge. I am an Intermediate Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading.
Please take a look at the testimonial section to see some nice things that people have said about my work to-date, and my current-projects page for an up-to-date list of ongoing work.
Recent major work projects include:
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Editing and proofreading over 50 scientific papers for the Journal of Fluid Mechanics (Cambridge University Press), and also for Physics of Fluids
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Collating and editing Cambridge Lower Secondary Mathematics papers and teacher handbooks (Oxford University Press)
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Content writing and proofreading for SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
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Proofreading PDF proofs for Pearson Education Ltd
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Substantive editing and proofreading of two novels.
Testimonials
"I would recommend Matt in a heartbeat for all editorial needs, and for providing support along the entire process. Nothing is too much trouble; his patience and knowledge is second to none. Not only is he a first-class proofreader and editor, his skills go beyond that, including taking pride in making sure his clients' work is the best it can be."
Glyn Morris
author of
The Adventures of Wisky and Pals
"Matthew Laight is a detailed, meticulous and highly adaptable proofreader. Drawing not only on his other career in high-performance computing and aeronautics, but also his wide-ranging literary appetite, Matt applies his skills of detailed analysis conscientiously to any genre of the written word, be that fiction; children’s literature; education or technical journals. He is also a really nice bloke! I am happy to recommend him without hesitation."
Sara Butler
Executive Assistant to the Provost
The Queen's College, Oxford
"I have worked with Matthew on Maths A book and know that when I place work with him, it will be delivered back to me on time, to exacting standards, and following the brief. Matthew is flexible, patient and a pleasure to work with. He can be relied on at short notice, and I have no hesitation in recommending his proofreading services."
Bhavna Saxena
Content Producer at
"Matt did such a great job of editing my novel. His work is thorough and precise, and his observations, notes and suggestions are spot on. He has a sharp eye and doesn't miss a thing. He identified inaccuracies of grammar, spelling and syntax, and ensured a uniformity of style and formatting. As a result, my manuscript looks far more polished and professional. Matt's story editing is incredibly astute. He highlighted issues of clarity and continuity, asking questions of my story, prompting me to do the same. Because of Matt's brilliant work, I have begun to see my own work through an editor's eye, which ultimately is helping me to become a better writer."
author of
The Sorrow of the Floods
"Matt proofread and edited the 'bio' for my latest exhibition, and checked all the artwork and installation descriptions, of which there were many. He picked up on many points that I had missed and suggested much in the way of extra content, all perfectly pitched, he's a very knowledgeable chap you know! His help was invaluable as I just didn't have enough time to devote to these important jobs, and I contacted him terrifyingly close to a printing deadline. I will certainly retain his services (and spread the word), but I promise to give more notice next time! Thank you, Matt."
Sophie Alexandra Ryder (artist)
St. Ives, Cornwall
"I have benefitted immensely from creative technical discussions with Dr. Matthew Laight who proofread this document, made many good suggestions and turned the last leg of this project into an enjoyable experience."
Dr B
author of
Phd thesis, Cambridge
"Matt transformed the content and look of my website. I lost count of the number of times I had repeated myself! Thoroughly recommended"
Nicola H
Website owner
Braintree, Essex