David J

I am a highly experienced and effective STEM educator, specializing in teaching and tutoring in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and environmental science. I hold a PhD in organic chemistry from UC Berkeley, with prior graduate work at Harvard, and post-doctoral research appointments at UCSF Medical Center and Stanford. I graduated Phi Beta Kappa/Magna Cum Laude from the State University of New York, Buffalo. I have been well trained by some of the finest chemical scientists in the country.

Following the Stanford post-doc, I took a career detour and took a job with an environmental engineering and consulting company. This led to a 15-year career evaluating chemically-impacted properties throughout the U.S., as I learned the science of health risk assessment. I eventually rose to the Managing Principal level in the company, one rung below Vice President.

But, while I enjoyed the work, I realized that the consulting world was not for me, and so I began to explore teaching opportunities. I had always enjoyed mentoring junior staff. I accepted a series of fulltime visiting professorships in the Atlanta area where my wife and I still live, teaching general chemistry, organic chemistry, and environmental science. It was then that I realized that teaching was my calling.

I am now retired. My last employment position had me living and teaching in China, which was a fabulous experience. I have tutored for Wyzant in chemistry and organic chemistry for many years, but I am now interested in simply helping students be successful in these challenging subjects on a voluntary basis.