Class of 2026: Matthew Van De Vyver

Matthew Van De Vyver has combined his passion for engineering with a commitment to helping others during his time at the University of Essex.

The School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering (CSEE) graduate has played a leading role in a range of student initiatives, from volunteering projects and society leadership to being part of a team developing a Mars-style rover set to compete at RAL Space, the UK's National Space Laboratory, this summer.

His contributions were recognised when he was named Project Leader of the Year at the Students’ Union Volunteering Awards 2026. He also received the Exceptional Services to Societies Award for his work with the CSEE Society.

After graduating with a BEng in Computer Systems Engineering, Matthew will begin a role as a Graduate Hardware Engineer at Arm in September.

Leading the Repair Café

For the past two years, Matthew has led the VTeam Repair Café, a student-run initiative offering free technology repairs on campus.

Created to help tackle electronic waste and support students with broken devices, the project has grown into a regular volunteering activity and contributed to VTeam achieving a Platinum Sustainable Essex Award.

Matthew said: “Repair Cafe is a V-Team Regular Project I created two years ago with a couple of other students, as we felt there was a real gap on campus.

“The project runs weekly sessions, where students with broken tech can come along, and a volunteer will help them with the issues they are facing.

“The modern world is filled with tech, and a lot of it is surprisingly easy to fix, so this is a great way of showing this to people, reducing e-waste on campus due to less devices needing to be replaced, and hopefully giving them the confidence to have a go fixing things in future.

“V-Team was awarded a sustainability award, in part for the work Repair Cafe does, alongside the amazing work of other projects such as Clothes Exchange and Green Thumbs.”

Beyond the classroom

Alongside his volunteering work, Matthew has served as Treasurer of the CSEE Society and helped organise activities that bring students together.

He also played a key role in a STEM and Robotics Day at a local primary school during British Science Week, inspiring young people to explore science and engineering.

Matthew said: “I saw the opportunity to make a positive difference to the experience of other students, whilst also improving my skills, such as organisation and communication.

“Through the Repair Cafe, I've been able to see so many students learn how to fix the devices, which they otherwise wouldn't have been able to, and learn a little about reducing e-waste whilst at it.

“Through being an exec of the CSEE society, I've been able to help CSEE students meet each other, especially during the first few weeks of the year.”

Building a Mars-style rover

Another highlight of Matthew’s time at Essex has been being part of the CSEE Society’s rover team, which competes in the UKSEDS Olympus Rover Trials.

As part of the team, he has helped design, build and test a Mars-style rover that will be put through its paces at RAL Space in August.

Matthew said: “I've also been able to take on the role of Team Lead for the CSEE Society's Rover team, which enters the UKSEDS Olympus Rover Trials.

"This has been an amazing experience, working with other students to design, build and test Mars-style rovers, helping us develop skills beyond those taught on our course, and practice our project management and communication on a real project, with a real end result. The team is heading to RAL Space in August for the test day phase of the competition, where our rover will be put through its paces.”

Inspirational support

Matthew paid tribute to two academics who helped shape his Essex experience.

He praised Dr David Richerby for his commitment to teaching and student support, saying: “Every module I've been taught by him had incredible attention to detail, it is very clear he cares a lot about students, and is always happy to discuss content beyond the course.”

He also thanked his final-year project supervisor, Dr Sangeet Saha, for providing “great guidance and support throughout”.

Advice for new students

Reflecting on his time at Essex, Matthew's advice is simple:

“I would tell them to get involved with as much as they can whilst here, there's so many ways to get involved, from volunteering to societies to sports, and it's such a rewarding experience.”