Biology
I have a Ph.D. in Mol. Biol./Mol.Gen.
I am a University Professor with extensive teaching experience at all levels. I have taught for many years various disciplines of natural sciences, and served as adviser, mentor, and tutor of students and postdocts, as well as Program Director of Graduate Studies.
I relate well to learners of different ages and multicultural backgrounds. I have taught and lectured in three languages on a broad range of biological topics to diverse audiences.
I attribute an extraordinary formative power to the teaching of biology. A biological mentality makes one appreciate, relish and protect diversity, and is averse to ranking differences in terms of superiority or inferiority.
General Music
I'm an expert in classical music, middle ages to contemporary. I specialized in Beethoven and Mozart. I studied and taught music analysis and music appreciation for over 20 years.
I love to do “close-reading” of major compositions, with or without score, depending on the pupil’s technical knowledge. I have done extensive cycles with educated but musically naive individuals with highly rewarding results.
I have given monographic courses on Beethoven piano sonatas, Diabelli Variations and last quartets; on Mozart Da Ponte operas, string quintets, and the mature string quartets.
In the field of opera I have offered detailed analysis of the Ring, Tristan, and Parsifal; Verdi’s work from Luisa Miller to Falstaff and the Requiem; Rossini’s opera seria.
I have also run special cycles on madrigals and motets (with scores), and romantic lieder, especially on texts set to music by different composers.
I have a large database of scores and recorded music, which I share with the pupils.
Genetics
I have a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics (The Rockefeller University, New York, NY). I was a professor of Molecular Biology at the NYU School of Medicine for 11 years, and Director of Biomedicine, for 15 years.
Music History
I have studied and taught music history -middle ages to contemporary- for over 20 years. I have carried out research on the origin of sonata form and vocal music, an analytical studies on Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, and Wagner.
Teaching history of music is to me is primarily teaching the evolution and revolutions of musical styles, and I ground my classes in close listening of representative excerpts, drawing from a large database of scores and recorded music, which I share with the pupils.
Philosophy
I have a degree in the Humanities, which included history of philosophy from ancient Greece to Existentialism. Furthermore, during my long scientific training I studied epistemology and philosophy of science from antiquity to contemporary thinkers. I also took special courses in moral philosophy and epistemology. I have tutored extensively in this discipline, from beginner to advanced levels, with greatly rewarding results.