Lawrence graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2001 with bachelor's degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Physics. He completed his doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2007. For his PhD thesis Lawrence studied aeroacoustic noise generation processes from high speed jet engine exhaust. As an Imperial Marshall Sherfield Fellow, Lawrence will investigate the dynamics of interfacial disturbance waves in multiphase flows for turbomachinery applications. He hopes one day to be either a professional taekwondo athlete or enter the NHL draft in London, should the opportunity arise.