Hi there! I'm Jim. I received my bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech, where I graduated with a 4.0 GPA, and am pursuing my PhD at MIT. Enamored with math and science from an early age, I love the research work I do as a graduate student and find it incredibly rewarding to help others master new and difficult concepts. My PhD research involves building mathematical models and optimization algorithms, requiring advanced expertise in calculus, differential equations,...
Hi there! I'm Jim. I received my bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech, where I graduated with a 4.0 GPA, and am pursuing my PhD at MIT. Enamored with math and science from an early age, I love the research work I do as a graduate student and find it incredibly rewarding to help others master new and difficult concepts. My PhD research involves building mathematical models and optimization algorithms, requiring advanced expertise in calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, and numerical methods—skills I'm excited to share with students.
I have over three years of teaching and tutoring experience working with high school and college-aged students. Beginning my sophomore year at Virginia Tech, I tutored introductory and organic chemistry courses one-on-one at the chemistry learning center, helping students break down complex reaction mechanisms and stoichiometry problems. I also worked with chemical engineering students on their problem sets as a member of the department's honor society, providing both individual and small-group tutoring sessions. As a senior, I served as a teaching assistant for mass and energy balances, an introductory chemical engineering course with over 100 students, where I led weekly recitation sections and held office hours to reinforce lecture concepts.
As a tutor, I believe it's most important to tailor teaching strategies to each student, ensuring they fully grasp the "why" and "how" of a topic rather than just memorizing formulas. I focus on building strong fundamentals and problem-solving intuition so students can tackle any challenge confidently. The breadth of my coursework has given me the knowledge and confidence to help students across a variety of subjects—from algebra and calculus to chemistry and physics. I strive for each of my students to learn and succeed in a way that best fits them, so I welcome hearing about your specific goals and any resources you'd like to incorporate. I look forward to working with you!
