STEM tutor, Caltech PhD with 20+ yr research/teaching experience
Ravi K.

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About Ravi

Bio

I have 6.5+ yrs full-time online STEM and test prep tutoring experience (university & high-school (honors/AP) levels). I have a B.Tech/MS in Engg. (ME/CEE), second MS in geosciences, and an MS/PhD in Geophysics from Caltech, with 20+ years in graduate and post-doctoral science & engineering research, interspersed with corporate experience. My diverse academic training and work background has allowed me to regularly tutor nearly 20 subjects in the broad areas of physics, mathematics, mechanical engg., geophysics, and scientific computing. During my post-doctoral work, I taught undergraduate geophysics and geoscience courses at Utah State Univ., and during my first MS at the U. of Cincinnati, I worked as a university tutor for struggling undergraduate students in math/physics courses. More recently, I have been a full-time STEM tutor on a couple of (other) online platforms, catering to college students (~60-75% of time), as well as high-school students (~25-40% of time; regular/honors/AP). I have also tutored for the GRE graduate placement test, and the SAT & ACT college placement tests.

Based on the feedback and reviews from both students and their parents over the past decade of teaching/tutoring, here's what my students have valued the most: My ability to connect core STEM concepts from physics, calculus, and analytic geometry, to real world applications and STEM careers. While tutoring, I always ground my step-by-step problem solving approach in visual reasoning, graphical/geometric solutions, and concise/clear codes, rather than brute-force memorization of formulae or recipes. I really care about my students' academic goals - customizing my tutoring style and concept delivery to meet them where they are at, rather than making assumptions regarding where they should be. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you would like to schedule a test session. I look forward to helping you achieve your academic goals!

Education

Indian Institute of Technology, MUMBAI
Mechanical Engg.

University of Cincinnati
Masters

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
PhD

Additional Languages

Hindi

Telugu

Policies

Hourly Rate: $63
Lesson cancellation: 24 hours notice required
Background check passed on 6/18/2026
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Approved Subjects

ACT Math

I am results oriented, with a focus on both ACT test taking strategies - time saving tips, math short-cuts, time-management - as well as conceptual understanding of core algebra, combinatorics, geometry topics. Besides using ACT practice tests, I draw from several prep-books and college level textbooks for additional practice questions/problems based on student's needs. I also discuss how to be mentally prepared by being familiar with the actual test platform, relaxing before the test, avoiding distraction, and minimizing unforeseen test-taking issues.

ACT Reading

I work with students on several ACT reading comprehension strategies - identifying the purpose of each paragraph, then quick-summarizing it, looking for keywords and comparing answer choices to relevant sentence(s). I also discuss how to be mentally prepared by being familiar with the actual test platform, relaxing before the test, avoiding distraction, and minimizing unforeseen test-taking issues.

ACT Science

I am results oriented, with a focus on both ACT test taking strategies - quick visualization for data interpretation, disecting conflicting viewpoints using keywords - as well as reasoning approach based on problem type. Besides using ACT practice tests, I draw from several prep-books for additional data interpretation questions based on student's needs. I also discuss how to be mentally prepared by being familiar with the actual test platform, relaxing before the test, avoiding distraction, and minimizing unforeseen test-taking issues.

Algebra 1

Algebra is foundational to all other advanced math/physics/engineering subjects I tutor. I have homeschooled my own kids in algebra-1/2. This subject is introduced to school kids at a stage where they could be permanently turned-off by math, I try to really focus on step-by-step problem solving approachs based on the needs of each student. I sometimes use geometry (e.g., with systems of equations), and or simple models (example, exponential vs linear, graphs of polynomials) to keep the student's interest in the subject and pique their interest. I make extensive use of DESMOS to relate bland equations to their graphs, so student absorb the concept of functions and their transformations. I am happy to work with middle/high school students just starting on algebra, students looking for a review for pre-calculus, all the way up to undergraduate/graduate students looking to review core concepts.

Algebra 2

Algebra is foundational to all other advanced math/physics/engineering subjects I tutor. I have homeschooled my own kids in algebra-1/2. This subject is introduced to school kids at a stage where they could be permanently turned-off by math, I try to really focus on step-by-step problem solving approachs based on the needs of each student. I sometimes use geometry (e.g., with systems of equations), and or simple models (example, exponential vs linear, rational functions, finite sums/products of numbers) to keep the student's interest in the subject and pique their interest. In Algebra-2, for students with an interest in pursuing the pre-calc/calc route, besides using DESMOS to relate bland equations to their graphs, I also try to help then understand how to sketch the graphs of functions by hand (zeros, asymptotes, end-behavior, holes, etc.), so they internalize the basic types of functions and their transformations. I am happy to work with middle/high school students just starting on algebra, students looking for a review for pre-calculus, all the way up to undergraduate/graduate students looking to review core concepts.

Calculus

One of my favorite subjects to teach, Calculus, is the "language" of the physical sciences and engineering. Given my diverse STEM education and research background, I have solid experience tutoring calculus at all levels - high school (honors/AP-calc-AB/BC) through undergraduate (Calc-1/2/3), and even graduate students over the course of my research, teaching and tutoring career over the past 20 yrs. Calculus brings together all of the knowledge from combinatorics, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry - and underlies advanced math/physics/engineering subjects I tutor: ordinary and partial differential equations, Physics-1 (Mechanics), Physics-2 (Electromagnetism), Electrodynamics, AP-Physics-C-M/EM, Mechanical Engineering courses such as fluid/solid mechanics, dynamics, and mechanics of materials.

Differential Equations

Another one of my favorite subjects to teach, Differential equations (ordinary and partial), take us into the practical realms of physical sciences and engineering. Computational solutions of partial differential equations were at the heart of my PhD and post-doctoral research work. I have solid experience tutoring both ordinary diff-eq. (ODE) and partial diff-eq (PDE). to both undergraduate & graduate students - for both coursework as well as international engineering college entrance exams. These courses, along with linear algebra for developing numerical methods, together unlock methodologies to attack real-world problems with all of their messiness. I have tutored in the applications of differential equations in the areas of linear mechanics, electrodynamics, and gravitational/rotational mechanics. While ODE require a good understanding of concepts up to Calc-2, PDE also require understanding of multi-variable and vector calculus (Calc-3).

Earth Science

I have taught undergraduate geophysics courses at Utah State Univ., held a geophysics teaching assistantship at Caltech, and been a STEM tutor on two online platforms. Much of my computational research during my geophysic PhD involved applying concepts from engineering mechanics (solids/fluids) to the behavior and evolution of geologic structures and earthquakes. So, I bring in a very broad perspective to earthscience education.

Finite Math

I have tutored Finite Mathematics over the past 6 years on other online platforms. Besides these, I have also frequently tutor related subjects on these platforms such as Algebra-1/2, Linear Algebra, Combinatorics, and Probability theory - which have a number of cross-over topics/concepts applicable to finite mathematics.

Fortran

I have used Fortran (F77, F90/95, and some C) on Linux/Unix platforms for most of my school and research work over the past 25+ years. Much of my research during my geophysics PhD and post-doctoral work involved computational methods associated with the behavior and evolution of solid/fluid mechanics models of geologic structures and earthquakes. Over this time, I have written tens of thousands of lines of functional F90/95 code - fully documented in my thesis and dissertation work. In addition, there is a huge body of existing Fortran codes used in science/engg. research. On some occassions, I have had to convert scientific packages written in proprietary higher-level languages such as m-script (Matlab), into F90/95 to take advantage of compiler level optimization to speed up code execution. I then made these optimized libraries accessible to others in my collaborators and/or research group through shell-script/python wrappers. So, what I can help with is the integration of user-developed F90/95 codes into more mainstream research workflows through automation, and wrapping in python or shell-scripts.

Geology

I have taught undergraduate geology/geophysics courses at Utah State Univ., held a geophysics teaching assistantship at Caltech, and have tutored on online platforms. Much of my computational research during my geophysics PhD and subsequent post-doctoral research involved applying concepts from engineering mechanics (solids/fluids) to the behavior and evolution of geologic structures and earthquakes. So, I bring in a unique systemic perspective to understanding how geologic processes shape our dynamic Earth. I focus on the use of geologic/geophysical data to inform our current models of the crust, mantle, and core. My educational training also makes me uniquely placed to provide physics and data-based arguments for how the atmosphere/hydrosphere operate, and how they have been changing over the human time-span (anthroposcene).

Geometry

Euclidean geometry is at the core of many advanced math/physics/engineering subjects I tutor - specifically triangle, polygon, & circle properties, conic sections, and coordinate geometry. I have homeschooled my own kids in geometry. I am happy to work with middle/high school students in geometry-1/2, or looking for a geometry review for pre-calculus, all the way up to undergraduate/graduate students looking to review core concepts or master advanced applications - example being analytical and/or vector geometry problems in calculus.

GRE

I am results oriented, with a focus on both GRE test taking strategies - time saving tips, math short-cuts, time-management - as well as conceptual understanding of core algebra, number-theory, geometry, combinatorics, and data-analysis topics. As a non-native English speaker, I improved my vocabulary by understanding and classifying words based on their roots, and attaching them to meaningful phrases or sentences. My approach to vocabulary building is non-linear, when it comes to practicing for placement tests like the GRE - I encourage students to build a custom set of flash-cards based on word-roots, and inter-connections, rather than alphabetically. Besides using GRE practice tests, I draw from several prep-books and college level textbooks for additional practice questions/problems based on student's needs. I also discuss how to be mentally prepared by being familiar with the actual test platform, relaxing before the test, avoiding distraction, and minimizing unforeseen test-taking issues.

Linear Algebra

Linear Algebra is at the core of a couple of other advanced subjects I tutor - differential equations (eigen-analysis), and numerical methods (computational algebra). Aspects of this subject also sometimes appear in finite mathematics courses (linear programming), which I also tutor. Other fields where this is extensively used include image processing and computer graphics. I have tutored this subject on other online platforms - to undergraduate engineering majors as well as for students taking some international college entrance exams over the past 6+ years.

Linux

I have used Linux/Unix as the platform of choice both at home and for all of my school and research work over the past 25+ years. The main attraction of the OS is its embrace of open-source culture and accessibility, besides superb customizability using shell-scripting. So, what I can help with is related to integrating it with user-developed compiler-based scientific codes in F90/95 or C, or Python based scientific package development, automating complex simulations and data backups, using the command-line and/or more detailed shell-scripts. Besides all of my research work-stations, all of my home systems (desktops & laptops) are and have been Linux based (Fedora/Red-Hat, then Ubuntu/Debian). Much of my research during my geophysics PhD and post-doctoral work involved computational methods associated with the behavior and evolution of solid/fluid mechanics models of geologic structures and earthquakes. So, I bring in a hands-on perspective to using linux for day-to-day, as well as specific student research applications.

Mechanical Engineering

Over the past 6 and half years, I have leveraged my bachelor's in ME to tutor several Mech. Engg. courses on other online platforms: Statics, Dynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Mechanics of Materials, and Engineering Thermodynamics. Much of my second MS in geology (UKY), PhD (Caltech) and post-doctoral (NTU, Taiwan) computational modeling research involved applying these mechanics concepts to simulate the behavior of geologic materials to model the evolution of earthquakes as well as plate-tectonic structures such as mountain ranges over long time-scales.

Physics

I love teaching/tutoring physics at all levels. Pursuit of physics is what led me into realizing the importance of calculus in understanding natural phenomena. I have tutored Physics-1/2/3, AP-Physics-1/2, AP-Physics-C-M/EM, Electrodynamics, and Statics/Dynamics extensively over the past 6+ years of online tutoring. My strength here is in linking core concepts to practical/day-to-day applications, to help build intuition about physics problems. My PhD in geophysics involved both coursework and research involving multiple facets of physics - seismology (waves), potential fields (gravitational and EM fields in the Earth's crust), and deformation in the space-time window where both elastic and viscous deformation is important (plate-tectonics, and mountain-building). Much of my research work involved computational approaches to modeling mechanical deformation of the crust and upper mantle over time-scales of thousands to tens of millions of years.

Precalculus

With my diverse STEM education/research background, I am uniquely positioned to tutor pre-calculus. The subject is foundational to most STEM education, as it brings together knowledge from combinatorics, algebra-1/2, geometry-1/2, trigonometry, as well as finite sequences/series. Pre-calculus is necessary for all other advanced math/physics/engineering subjects I tutor. I have tutored high school students taking honors-/AP-precalculus courses, AP-calc studentsj looking to review concepts, all the way up to undergraduate/graduate students also trying to practice core concepts for their Calc-1/2/3 series.

PSAT

I am results oriented, with a focus on both PSAT test taking strategies - time saving tips, math short-cuts, locating keywords in passages, and time-management - as well as conceptual understanding of math topics, and a core vocabulary list. Besides using PSAT practice tests, I draw from several prep-books for additional practice questions/problems based on student's needs.

Python

I have used python, and numerical/scientific packages built on it (numpy, scipy, matplotlib) as the go-to wrapping, scripting, visualization and quick computing/testing language of choice, both at home and for all of my school and research work over the past 20+ years. The main attraction is the availability of an interpreter to quickly test a simple algorithm/logic or even plot functions/data before spending time on developing research grade hierarchical packages. I have also used it to wrap optimized scientific codes in F90/95 or C, as part of scientific package development for my research, and automating complex simulation hierarchies, parsing and visualizing upto a Terabyte of simulation output data. My experience with python is also mostly Linux/Unix based (Fedora/Red-Hat, then Ubuntu/Debian), plus some OS-X based scripting. Much of my research during my geophysics PhD and post-doctoral work involved computational methods associated with the behavior and evolution of solid/fluid mechanics models of geologic structures and earthquakes. So, I bring in a hands-on perspective to using python for day-to-day, as well as specific student research applications - as well as with using interactive shells such as iPython on MS Windows, OS-X, or Linux. I DO NOT have any industry certifications for, or experience, building python apps or code development for phones/tablets, or IoT development on Microsoft Windows or OS-X platforms.

SAT Math

I am results oriented, with a focus on both SAT test taking strategies - time saving tips, math short-cuts, time-management - as well as conceptual understanding of core algebra, combinatorics, geometry topics. Besides using SAT practice tests, I draw from several prep-books and college level textbooks for additional practice questions/problems based on student's needs. I also discuss how to be mentally prepared by being familiar with the actual test platform, relaxing before the test, avoiding distraction, and minimizing unforeseen test-taking issues.

SAT Reading

I work with students on several SAT reading comprehension strategies - identifying the purpose of each paragraph, then quick-summarizing it, looking for keywords and comparing answer choices to relevant sentence(s). I also discuss how to be mentally prepared by being familiar with the actual test platform, relaxing before the test, avoiding distraction, and minimizing unforeseen test-taking issues.

Thermodynamics

Over the past 6 and half years, I have tutored engineering thermodynamics as part of a larger suite of Mech. Engg. courses for majors on other online platforms. I have also tutored basic chemical thermodynamics in high-school chemistry courses (enthalpy, Gibbs free energy, calorimetry).

TOEFL

I have native fluency in English (grammar/vocabulary), and have been living in the USA for over 30 years. While I grew up in India, English was always my "first" language in school - so every course (except local language courses) was taught in English. Furthermore, I have worked in the US in diverse corporate and academic environments, moving across half-a-dozen states in the process. I am able to help not only with grammar, sentence-structure, and vocabulary, but also with pronunciation.

Trigonometry

This was one of the earliest subjects I had to master in high-school to get into my undergraduate engineering program. Trigonometry is at the core of all other advanced math/physics/engineering subjects I tutor - specifically calculus (derivatives, integration techniques), physics & engineering (vectors, rotational transformations, complex numbers & analysis). I am happy to work with middle/high school students just starting on geometry/trigonometry, students looking for a review geometry concepts for pre-calculus, all the way up to undergraduate/graduate students looking to review core concepts or master advanced applications - examples being integration techniques, calculus in spherical/cylindrical coordinates, vector calculus, mechanics, electrodynamics, or engineering analysis.

Vocabulary

I learnt English vocabulary as a non-native speaker of the language in India. However, my "first" language in school was English, so I learnt everthing except language-subjects in this language. I spent many years learning grammar formally in school, but my fascination with vocabulary took off once I started learning their roots, and that each word had a precise place in the English language, with its own story to tell! So, my approach to vocabulary is non-linear, when it comes to practicing for placement tests like the GRE (and sometimes, SAT/ACT) - I encourage students to build a custom set of flash-cards based on word-roots, and inter-connections, rather than alphabetically.

Probability

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STEM tutor, Caltech PhD with 20+ yr research/teaching experience Ravi K.