Our Team

Art of Problem Solving was founded by Richard Rusczyk in 2003 to create interactive educational opportunities for avid math students. Richard is the author or a co-author of 7 AoPS textbooks and a past Director of the USA Mathematical Talent Search. He was a participant in National MATHCOUNTS, a three-time participant in the Math Olympiad Summer Program, and a USA Mathematical Olympiad winner (1989). He received the World Federation of National Mathematics Competitions Paul Erdös Award in 2014. He graduated from Princeton University in 1993, and worked as a bond trader for D.E. Shaw & Company for four years. AoPS marks Richard's return to his vocation - educating motivated students.

In 2014, Glen founded a learning center in Morrisville, North Carolina, that two years later became the first AoPS Academy campus. Glen served as the National Director of AoPS Academy until his retirement in 2019. He has experience as a college math professor, statistician, and expert SAS programmer. He has been a professional math tutor for many years, and specializes in training academically-advanced and high-performing math students. Glen is a graduate of Duke University and holds a graduate degree in statistics from Boston University.

Having earned an IB Diploma in high school, he went on to complete a dual BA from Vassar College in mathematics and Chinese. His varied interests have led him to jobs in investor relations, veterinary medicine, daycare, and comedy, but the siren call of math education has always brought him back. Anatole has over a decade of teaching experience working with diverse students and curriculums around the world, but the first time someone gave him a Beast Academy book, he knew that AoPS had created the highest quality math books for students of any age.

Darius always found math to be his strongest suit (alongside soccer!) when going through school. After immigrating to the Bay Area from Iran, he earned his BS in applied mathematics (with a focus on computational science) from San Jose State University. He has three years of teaching experience, and seven years of leadership experience, and enjoys a well-written spreadsheet! He loves music, he loves math, and he loves sharing that love with other knowledge-hungry students he meets through their AoPS journey. His classrooms are well-behaved, collaborative, and fun from start to finish. Darius is eager to learn more and become better everyday, and he aspires to instill the same hunger in those who cross his path.

Tandis has a BA in Spanish, minor in psychology, and MA in linguistics. She has been teaching for almost a decade in different capacities, including in China and also at Mission College. Tandis loves AoPS' approach to problem solving and critical thinking and she loves when her students have the AHA! moments. She would describe her teaching style as demonstrative and coaching. She also tries to be flexible depending on the group of students and what their needs are. She likes to promote discussions and sharing of ideas.

Sharon received her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and has been working in elementary schools since 1993. Sharon saw a job opening to AoPS in 2019 to teach math in an after school program. She has always loved teaching math to her classroom students and math clubs of all levels. Teaching is a passion for her, and she loves those "Aha" moments for her students. Sharon enjoys seeing those students that grow in their confidence and start taking ownership in their education.

Hennah has been with AoPS for 3 years and recently graduated from San Jose State University where she studied marketing and journalism. She hopes to pursue a career in the media industry. Hennah was drawn to AoPS because of the amazingly supportive team that she get to work with. She loves how creative and smart our students are. Their passion and love of learning is inspiring.

Nallely received her associate's degree in business administration and economics from Mission College. While earning her degree, she worked at Mission College’s DSPS where she assisted students with learning disabilities. Nallely was drawn to AoPS due to its unique education approach and mission to help all students become problem solvers. Her favorite part about working with students is seeing them come to AoPS excited about their upcoming class!

Megha, a current high school senior, holds the position of a Front Desk Associate at AoPS Academy. Her aspirations revolve around pursuing a business major and working within a major tech corporation. Beyond her responsibilities at AoPS, she nurtures a deep passion for dance, having taught dance to seniors and adults since the age of ten. Leading as the president of Cupertino High School's Bollywood Dance team, she not only choreographs fun routines but also teaches it to many students. Megha's commitment extends further as she has undertaken teaching roles in both French and dance across many organizations, connecting with many younger students. She also dedicates time to hiking, cooking, and knitting.

Alys is a Front Desk Associate at AoPS Academy in Santa Clara. She graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. From February 2023 to February 2024, Alys taught English in South Korea at an English academy. With her background in education, Alys understands the importance of education. She was drawn to AoPS because of its innovative approach to education and its commitment to fostering a deep understanding of mathematics and problem-solving skills. The academy's reputation for excellence in teaching and its supportive community made it an ideal environment for her to continue her career in education. Alys' favorite part of working with students is when they can start to see connections and connect pieces of information on their own.

Juliann loves AoPS! With her learning disability and going to a trade school, AoPS has taught her that there are several ways to get the right answer! It’s allowed her the confidence to excel in school work. She loves being able to know the “ah ha” moment when a student finds alternative ways to solve a problem.

Amishi Gupta is a rising junior at The Harker School in San Jose and is interested in economics. She has been attending AoPS classes, both online and on-campus, since 4th grade and wants to give back to the community through teaching. She always loves working with others and is excited to share her passion for learning with younger students. Language arts, especially writing, is a space she finds great joy in pursuing, whether it is academic, expository, or creative writing. Amishi hopes to foster a fun and supportive learning environment where students can learn, experiment with new concepts, communicate clearly, and continue to grow.

Lauren just finished her first year at the University of Washington on the pre-health track. She graduated from Monta Vista High School in 2023 and hopes to help students reach their fullest potential as a Teaching Assistant for AoPS. Watching students progress over time and gain confidence is what Lauren finds to be the most rewarding part of working with students. Lauren hopes to foster a supportive learning environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and are encouraged to think both creatively and critically.

Thi is entering her second year at the University of California, Davis this fall, continuing her studies in biological sciences and dreams of pursuing pediatric optometry after graduation. As a future healthcare professional, Thi sees great value in getting to understand those she will be serving from all angles, including education. With 5 years of working with younger students in the classroom, helping teach Vietnamese, Catechism, and Language Arts, Thi is excited to get yet another chance to spread her knowledge and help motivated students succeed. This is especially true as she also loves connecting with students, gaining their unique perspective on life, and being able to celebrate their educational victories!

Preethy is currently a business administration student concentrating in information systems at the University of California, Riverside. From a young age, she has always enjoyed participating in language arts and math competitions, which led up to her participation in contents like AMC, MathCounts, and story contests throughout middle and high school. She joined AoPS in 2021 to share her love of learning and hoping to create a fostering learning environment for students of all ages. One of the most rewarding aspects of working with students is witnessing the love for learning grow, as students continue to gain the confidence in their own skills. She hopes to make a positive impact through their academic journey and contribute to their passion for learning overall.

Anagha is currently a junior at Wilcox High School. She was initially drawn to AoPS because she attended classes there when she was younger and wanted to inspire other young students interested in math to pursue their journey. Additionally, she generally enjoys working with younger students and believes that helping them helps her refine her skills as well. She particularly enjoys that they are always interested in becoming better learners—making her interactions with them consistently positive.

Ian Jung is a rising junior at Leigh High School. He has worked with students as a teaching assistant for five years at his church and Korean school. He did an AoPS prealgebra workbook when he was younger and appreciated the casual tone of the writing and the entertaining problems. He enjoys seeing students get past the same obstacles he had to struggle through when he was learning the same concepts.

Anjali Kalia is an incoming junior at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View. She took AoPS classes in middle school, and loves math and learning new math skills. She enjoys working with students to help develop and further their academic careers.

Aaditya is a graduating senior at Cupertino High School, and is a future biology major (although he's not picky about what science he studies). His previous involvement with AoPS as a student and his work as a teaching assistant at school inspired his effort to become a TA at AoPS. As captain of CHS's Science Bowl team, he has honed his skills in STEM, gained valuable leadership experience, and (of course) had a ton of fun.

Abirami is an undergraduate student at UC Davis majoring in biomedical engineering and is passionate about pursuing the intersection between biology and technology. She finds it rewarding to share knowledge and support others in their educational journey, so she joined AoPS as a student tutor. She loves helping students understand new concepts and seeing their confidence grow because she is always excited to see their progress. She believes that students bring diverse perspectives and ideas during every conversation, which makes each interaction unique and interesting.

Aakash is currently studying computer science at San Jose State University. At a young age, he started learning through AoPS Online and was fascinated by mathematics and computer science. Aakash worked at West Valley as a tutor for science and mathematics and volunteered through the Evergreen Valley College Citizen Science Initiatives program to tutor underserved K-12 students in mathematics and physics. He enjoys watching students develop their skills and become more confident as they learn.

Tejas is currently studying data science at the University of California, San Diego. He has been surrounded by math practically his whole life and cherishes the opportunity AoPS provides him to pass down what he's learned to eager students. He enjoys fostering a successful learning environment for all students and is always excited to display new avenues to arriving at an answer.

Trisha is currently a junior at Evergreen Valley High School. She has been interested in math and anything STEM related since a young age and wishes to help students further their knowledge through AoPS. She loves working with students because it allows her to inspire and be inspired by their new perspectives and curiosity, and fills her with fulfillment to witness their academic growth. She is also keen on fostering an inclusive classroom environment where every student feels valued and encouraged to participate.

Shreyas is currently an incoming freshman at Carnegie Mellon University. His interest in promoting youth development drew him to AoPS. Shreyas wishes to foster a love for learning mathematics among each of his students.

Mahati is an incoming junior at Monta Vista High School. Since she was little, she has been passionate about math and enjoys solving problems in her free time and participating in math competitions such as the AMC. She was drawn to AoPS as she found their problem-solving techniques fascinating and wanted to help teach those concepts to younger students. She loves to work with other students and always finds it very interesting to see how students think to help them improve. She also enjoys seeing students work together to solve problems, fostering collaboration and allowing them to learn and have fun together.

Niranjana is a junior at Monta Vista High School with a passion for mathematics and computer science. As a student of AoPS since 2022, Niranjana has competed in contests such as AMC and AIME. She was drawn to AoPS to learn the exciting and unexpected shortcuts to solving a variety of problems. Niranjana loves working individually with students and helping them form connections between problems to turn their ideas into possible solutions.

Rishav is an upcoming Dougherty Valley High School senior who studies education, cognition, and physical sciences. His passion for mathematics goes back to elementary school. As a former student of the AoPS Campus, he sought to return to the campus as an instructor. His passion for teaching and mathematics prompted him to become a Math Teacher's Assistant at AoPS! He loves the creativity with which students approach problems and aims to motivate students to never give up on solving a problem. Rishav has experience working with students since middle school, and he has worked in multiple nonprofit organizations with visions to support education.

Anushka is a rising junior who currently attends Cupertino High School. Her favorite subject has always been math and she loves attending math competitions. This year, she was a finalist for MathCon. She has been learning from AoPS resources since 5th grade and enjoys their style of teaching which encourages problem solving. Anushka especially enjoys learning how students think and adapt and finds joy in helping students achieve that lightbulb moment.

Brandon is a senior at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley and has been working at AoPS since June of 2023. He has taken a variety of advanced math courses, including AP Calculus AB and BC, AP Statistics, Game Theory, and Differential Equations. What really drew him to AoPS was the similar experiences he had had learning and growing his skills with the support of teachers and peers. He also loved AoPS' instruction style, highlighting fun and challenging puzzles instead of memorization. He’s always enjoyed helping classmates in and out of class on a variety of subjects, often spending countless hours working together on challenging problems. Brandon has tutored various students in Calculus and Computer Science and would love to work with your students.

Sailesh is an incoming freshman at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying finance and data science. After taking multiple AoPS Online math courses in middle school to further his math understanding, Sailesh hopes to give back to the AoPS community by working with students to help build their foundation in math. In addition, his favorite part of working with students is to be a part of their learning journey and to watch them pursue their passions.

Cynthia is an incoming first-year student at Stanford University. She has experience competing in the AMC, AIME, and other math contests, and her writing portfolio has been nationally recognized by YoungArts and the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. When Cynthia was younger, AoPS textbooks taught her how to find clever solutions to complicated questions, so she wants to help students gain confidence in their problem-solving abilities.

Makayla is currently a junior at Branham High School in San Jose. She has always had a love of math and puzzles since she was a child. She took Calculus AB at the beginning of high school and was shocked to find how interesting it was; it quickly became her favorite class. She currently takes Calculus BC and is enjoying spending 20 minutes solving a problem that takes up a whole page. Outside of teaching, she is on the board of the tutoring club at her high school, and also teaches English to students in Taiwan. In her free time, Makayla can be found curled up on her couch watching documentaries, playing soccer, exploring a new city, going to a new coffee shop, or attempting to finish 3 puzzles at a time--depending on the mood.

Greg has a BA in economics from UCSD and an MBA in finance from SDSU. He has taught summer school at SDSU, and worked in corporate finance for BofA, Coopers/Lybrand, HP and other tech companies. He's also been a substitute teacher for mathematics as well as tutoring both public and privately for 15 years. Greg was drawn to AoPS by the higher caliber of curriculum, class work and teachers. He enjoys working with students to generate and develop their enthusiasm, problem-solving, patience and persistence. His teaching style is a blend of challenging the students and showing many shortcuts and tips/tricks he has learned over the years to make math easier. His goal is to make math interesting, educational and fun! He incorporates his good sense of humor to make class lively.

Hiromi previously worked for one of the world’s biggest investment banks on Wall Street in Tokyo and earned an MBA from the University of Michigan on scholarship. She has been teaching AoPS Prealgebra, Algebra and Geometry for over a decade to train “Mathletes” for competitions. Many of her students were awarded high placements in MathCounts, MathOlympiad, CML, and AMC 8-10. Hiromi is one of the longest and biggest fans of AoPS. Since early 2010’ when its first edition of Prealgebra book was published! AoPS textbooks have been the bible to train her “Mathletes” for competitions and the key to help them earn the top placements. Teaching is Hiromi's passion because she knows she is making a difference in the life of her students through teaching. The notion that they will carry their learnings for the rest of their life – AoPS’s way of critical thinking and problem-solving skills – is a gift! Hiromi's teaching style is positive and passionate and known to make the learning exciting and enlightening. Her personal approach is a product of her good knowledge of her students and helps her teaching meet each student’s specific needs.

Ms. Kendra earned her bachelor’s degree in child life psychology and is currently working on her master’s degree in clinical psychology. She has been teaching for the previous thirteen years, accumulating experience working with all age groups, preschool through college prep. The engaging curriculum is what initially drew Ms. Kendra to AoPS Academy, but the privilege of connecting with the students, families, and staff in the AoPS community is what keeps her here each year. She loves equipping the students with the right strategies to take ownership of their own learning, particularly when they come to realize that education is a powerful tool that they can harness to overcome any challenge they may face, both academically or otherwise. She especially loves students inspiring those “aha” moments for themselves and for each other. Ms. Kendra would describe her teaching style as firm but kind. She believes the goal of the classroom is to connect with the students so that they in turn invest in their individual and collective learning and connect with the curriculum.

Jabr's love of math and science led him to earn his B.S. in physics at UCLA, before receiving his M.S. in mathematics at CSU East Bay. Previously working at 310Tutors in Santa Monica and a mathematics lecturer at Honolulu Community College has given him a wide range of experiences and skills that he continues to sharpen. After moving back to California, he found AoPS and was excited to challenge both himself and his students in their mathematical and problem solving skills! Jabr particularly enjoys guiding his students to understanding fundamental concepts about mathematics and logic, so that they can generalize and understand any problem they come across, even outside the classroom! He prefers to keep students engaged by encouraging them to volunteer their ideas, allowing them to try new things and find patterns on their own.

Cecilia is coming to AoPS with 5 years of teaching experience, most of which has been done in lower elementary education. Her passion in education started at a very young age and has continued on to this day. Cecilia holds a bachelor's degree from the University of California Santa Cruz and a master's degree in Education. Cecilia is excited to join the AoPS team to further expand her teaching practice and professional skills.

Vanessa is a graduate of California State University East Bay where she obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with a Double Minor in Women's Studies and Business Administration. Vanessa also obtained her Master of Arts in Communication and Leadership Studies with a concentration in strategic and organizational communication. What brought Vanessa to AoPS is her love for teaching and being a part of a community that inspires our youth to surpass their educational endeavors and reach for greater achievement. What Vanessa loves most about working with students is being a part of their growth journey in learning and understanding material. Vanessa enjoys being a part of the support system that encourages our youth that through hard work and determination, they can reach for the stars as only the sky is the limit. In the classroom, Vanessa's style of teaching can be described as consistent encouragement, consistent progress through growth, and the consistent ability to encourage students to always try their best and stay open to learning and understanding material. Vanessa welcomes class participation, classroom community building, and peer-to-peer support to help promote an inclusive classroom environment.

Dr. Baharav earned his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. He worked in tech as a researcher, manager and Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Baharav holds over 30 issued US patents, published over 40 scientific papers, and wrote a book on competitive programming (USACO). Dr. Baharav loves the energy of AoPS students, and their willingness to try and enjoy hard problems. His teaching style combines an emphasis on basic principles together with a strong belief in the value of reflection and contemplation.

Lisa has been a math teacher for almost 20 years. Growing up loving all math and science classes, she majored in biology at UC Santa Cruz, with a focus in math, chemistry, and physics. She returned to Stanford University a few years later for a MA in teacher education and an emphasis in math education. For the past decade, she has loved developing her expertise in teaching struggling math learners in addition to her more extensive background of working with gifted math students. Lisa strives to bring mathematics to life for her students and to show them the beauty and inspiration of this subject. When she is not teaching or planning lessons, Lisa loves to garden, bake bread, hang out with her dog, and learn more about math and science.

Blue is a strong advocate for holistic education. She has a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies with a minor in public service and community engagement from the University of San Francisco, where she also received her first publication on Renaissance Art History in their academic journal. Alongside her career in sustainability, Blue has over two years of teaching and tutoring experience with students of all ages. While she has worked with students to advance their skills in various areas of language arts, she is most passionate about helping them develop confidence in using meaningful communication skills to succeed in their day-to-day lives. In her free time, Blue enjoys crocheting, drawing at coffee shops, and baking too many desserts.

Thomas received a BA in applied mathematics from U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. in mathematics from SJSU. He has taught at Mathnasium and SJSU. What drew him to AoPS were both the focus on critical thinking skills and the passionate students. He likes to see the unique path each student takes in getting to the solution of a hard problem. Thomas likes to encourage students to come up with their own ideas and approaches, and guide them in the right direction.

Lucas is an avid mathematics enthusiast with a degree in mathematics and minor in computer science from UCLA. Lucas didn't discover his fervor for mathematics until late in high school, where he discovered competition math through AoPS. On a whim, he majored in math where he quickly became enamored with discovering new mathematical principles and tackling obscure problems. What Lucas finds even more gratifying is communicating these fascinating concepts to eager students through his inquisitive teaching style. Throughout his college years Lucas taught and tutored over 100 students in all sorts of math and conducted research in combinatorics (ask him what a parking function is!). During his free time, Lucas enjoys weightlifting, reading, keeping up with the NBA, and backpacking across the globe.

Marcia has a BS in education with a math specialty and an MS in administration. She has been teaching junior high and high school mathematics for over 40 years. After retiring from full time teaching, she was missing both the challenge of teaching math and the daily interactions with students. One of her colleagues recommended AoPS as a perfect part-time job. Marcia loves seeing how students approach problems. She feels that they quite often have great insight and working together, they can learn new and creative ways to solve problems. She particularly loves working with and encouraging junior high-aged girls to build confidence and realize that math is for everyone. Marcia does believe that students need to struggle a bit with difficult problems in order to grow, but she wants to make sure that they have a good grasp of the basics necessary to be able to understand the questions and not get too frustrated. She and the students work through the core curriculum together, before the individual or small group work on extensions.

As a child, Shelley wanted to be a writer. While she still dreams of having her stories published, she has since found that she really enjoys helping young people find their own love of writing, reading, and language. Shelley received her B.A. in Language Studies from UC Santa Cruz, as well as her master's degree in Linguistics and her teaching credential in English from SJSU. She has been teaching middle school ELA in San Jose for the past nine years. Shelley loves that the students at AoPS are deeply engaged and enthusiastic about learning and are always willing to think outside the box to come up with insights about what they're learning and about themselves.

Vy loves stories. As someone who loves both telling and hearing them, she has explored roles in various industries, including literary publishing, food radio, and journalism. She holds a B.A. in writing and literature from UC Santa Barbara and is excited to bring her passion for literature and writing to the AoPS classroom. She enjoys working with AoPS students who are highly motivated to challenge themselves and interrogate the world around them.

Pete has a PhD from UC Berkeley and worked at Stanford as an x-ray crystallographer, where math meets biology and chemistry. He was attracted to the focus of AoPS on solving hard problems and working with the highly motivated students also drawn to that approach. Pete loves seeing students make the transformation from quiet and reserved to active participants in class discussions. It happens every year, and it’s rewarding to see students gain confidence in sharing their ideas. He encourages participation in class by posing questions (the Socratic method). He also enjoys helping students have success in visualizing problems in their mind's eye, a philosophy of teaching favored by the Swiss geometer, Jakob Steiner.

After graduating from SDSU, Beth used her communications degree to build a career in marketing. However, after a stint as a stay-at-home mom volunteering in classrooms, there would be no turning back; Beth found her calling in teaching and changed careers. As a public middle school teacher, Beth saw that top-tier students were often underserved. The lure of challenging gifted students led her to AoPS. While Beth enjoys everything about teaching, it is her students who are the reason she loves her job! She delights in introducing avid readers to new authors, teaching creative, effective writing strategies to her aspiring authors, and shepherding reluctant speakers to present with professionalism and ease. Beth’s teaching style is interactive; her classroom buzzes with student engagement. She strives to create a classroom atmosphere where students learn to hone their language skills and have a great time doing so!

Keonna Geer (lovingly known as Mrs. Geer) is an educator with 10+ years of experience in PK-12 education. Keonna has had the opportunity to serve in many various capacities as an educator. She has served as head school principal, teacher (elementary, high school, and adult education), school counselor, and professional tutor. Keonna’s M.S. degree from Walden University is in clinical mental health counseling with a trauma and crisis specialization. Her education specialist (Ed.S.) degree, from Northcentral University, is in educational leadership for PK-12 education. Keonna was drawn to AoPS because of its ability to teach students at high levels through creative problem-solving, critical thinking, and hands-on pedagogical approaches. Keonna enjoys seeing students find their own solutions through investigative inquiry and is thrilled by each student's ability to think beyond the norm. If visitors were to walk into Keonna's class, they would notice that students are engaged in both structured inquiry and progressive-constructivist pedagogies.

Ever since she was a kid, Thi has had a strong passion for mathematics. She loves solving challenging math problems and puzzles. She earned her bachelor's degree in finance and banking in Vietnam, as well as a master's degree in statistics at San Jose State University, where she was a teaching assistant for a precalculus class. Thi loves working with students, helping them to understand and fall in love with math. Beside mathematics, she also loves dogs, and has a small and cute maltipoo.

Sreedhar has a robust technical background in engineering, holding both bachelor's and master's degrees in electronics from JNTU Hyderabad, India. He currently works as an Engineering Manager at NVIDIA in Santa Clara. Sreedhar's love for math began during his schooling and continued to grow throughout his higher education and beyond. He enjoys teaching math and Olympiad topics to his daughter, which sparked his passion for helping younger kids. This passion led him to AoPS, where he believes that a strong foundation in math at an early age can help kids understand complex topics and see the world differently.

Erin has always loved math. Her math love lead her to a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Brigham Young University in Utah. While she worked on her bachelor's, Erin joined a study abroad program in Peru where she used her knowledge to teach others how to solve their everyday problems. After earning her degree Erin started working as a manufacturing engineer, but that spark from teaching others eventually led her to a master's degree in teaching from the University of California, Irvine. After 4 years of teaching elementary school, Erin is now teaching middle school math during the day and AoPS students at night! When she's not teaching, Erin can usually be found in a different state or country. Erin is now over halfway to visiting every state in the USA!

James is a family oriented and math-minded individual. He loves problem solving, logic puzzles, and academia in general. He double majored at U.C. Berkeley in statistics and geology. Most of all, James really loves teaching, particularly when it comes to educating young minds. His other interests include playing a variety of sports, including basketball, tennis, and soccer. James enjoys many other facets of fitness as well, such as cycling, swimming, and hiking.

Zack’s love of literature and writing pushed him to earn his bachelor's degree in literature and move on to pursue a master's degree in creative writing/teaching, and composition from San Francisco State University. After 5 years of teaching middle school in San Jose, he joined the AoPS Academy team, where he prioritizes student-led learning instruction. He loves to hear from students, and assess their understanding and their ideas in order to gain insight into their individual writing. Along with teaching, he enjoys playing chess, reading, listening to music, watching the Raiders or the Warriors, and binging his favorite anime/tv. He is scared of spiders, but will (definitely) sacrifice himself to save the students from one. His favorite food is either tacos or sushi, and he loves a good pair of loafers.

Eric Hernandez earned his bachelor's degree in applied mathematics with a concentration in computational mathematics. Ever since his college years at San Jose State University, he enjoyed helping and tutoring his fellow students with ways to understand math, both as a tool and as a language. What Eric loves the most about working with his students is showing the magic of mathematics. From its weird formulas in complex analysis to the fun applications of game theory, math can be used in almost anything. Seeing the look on students' faces as they realize that they can use math for bigger and better things, is what drives him to teach. Eric was drawn to AoPS because of their creative and out-of-the-box methods of teaching that allow for different perspectives to be taken in math. With an emphasis on creating discussions and working together, Eric's teaching style focuses on breaking down subjects to their core concepts, knowing where and how to work with those concepts, and building confidence in one's work.

Katrina discovered her passion for education when she was just ten years old serving as a volunteer teaching assistant at the pre-school across the street from her childhood home. She has degrees in both English and neurobiology from the University of California, Irvine. Her love for teaching continued as she got to pursue additional opportunities for teaching like the Peninsula Bridge Program and developing her own curriculum in her undergraduate years. When not teaching at AoPS, Katrina works in medical research at UCSF. She was drawn to AoPS because she wanted to help students develop a love and drive for reading and creative writing that will keep them motivated through higher levels of education. Ultimately, Katrina hopes to encourage curiosity and empathy in her students so they can be well-rounded learners. As a teacher, she strives to elicit participation from all students and encourage them to feel comfortable making mistakes in this safe space so they may be more confident in the future.

Eric Huang earned a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from UC Santa Cruz, and is currently pursuing a PhD in mathematics at Pennsylvania State University. He actively participated in competitive math during high school, and AoPS was a great resource for him, so the opportunity to help a new generation of math students was very exciting. Eric is most excited to teach when an explanation or clever idea clicks with a student, and they learn something new that will stick with them. He likes to have students actively engaged with the learning process, and wants them to challenge themselves to discover new and interesting mathematics.

Paul L. Jacquard earned his Master of Arts in education with an emphasis on math curriculum from CSU Dominguez Hills in 1996. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from UCLA in mathematics in 1989. Mr. Jacquard taught for 13 years at a prestigious private school called Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles where he had many famous students and had often taught math in French! He also taught at West Los Angeles College part time. Mr. Jacquard worked 10 years on the Golden State Exam in Mathematics for Sacramento County Office of Education and has been teaching math at Santa Clara High School for the past 21 years. Paul started at AoPS in 2023 and has enjoyed teaching the younger students!

Rahul has been a math enthusiast from an early age. He participated in math contests since middle school and was ranked in the top of the National Math Olympiad in the high school. Rahul works as a technology leader managing engineering organizations in his day job. Passionate to make learning of difficult mathematical concepts a fun task, he has taught programming languages and competitive math courses to middle school and high students since 2018. When not working or enjoying free time with family, he can be spotted mountain biking or hiking the mountains of the bay area

In 2015, Roland took a robotics class with his then 12-year-old son. After giving some suggestions for improvements to the organizer, he was invited to re-write the class, and was presenting it a few weeks later. He has been teaching this Practical Mathematics Using Lego Robots course as an elective or after school class at various public and private schools ever since. Roland was a reliability engineer for Amazon's devices group (lots of math and statistics), but became increasingly aware that being in front of a classroom was much more fun than his day job. In June of 2023, Amazon gave him the gift of laying him off, which has led him to enroll in the Masters in Teaching program at SJSU and apply to AoPS. Roland's obsession with math is finding ways to make it practical. Math is a wonderful modeling tool — it is spectacularly good at proving things, but it is a lousy teaching tool. He specializes in finding ways to present the problems in the physical systems that the math can be used to model/solve before introducing the math itself. This is particularly effective when teaching more esoteric math such as calculus and statistics (he specializes in teaching calculus to middle school students).

Peter has a Master of Arts degree in mathematics from SUNY Potsdam. Upon graduation, Peter relocated to California and worked for Hewlett-Packard (HP) in engineering and managerial roles before retiring from HP in 2020. Peter observed the importance of problem solving skills throughout his career and he wanted to help others develop these same skills. This interest, along with Peter's love of mathematics, drew Peter to Art of Problem Solving in 2020. Peter particularly enjoys working on challenging problems with students; he enjoys using these problems to learn new concepts and processes. Peter's teaching style is to lead students through problems and exercises and then recap what was learned in the process. Wherever possible, Peter likes to coach students on problem solving strategies and on how to reduce the likelihood of error by relating his experience in solving similar problems. Peter thoroughly enjoys teaching at Art of Problem Solving!

Indrani graduated with a Masters in English Literature from Kolkata, India, acquired teaching degree, Bachelor of Education from Bangalore University, India and has also earned a certification in teaching English as a foreign language from TEFLPros, Ashville, North Carolina. She has around a decade of experience in teaching English in India to both high schoolers and to college undergraduate students. She has been part of CISCE evaluators team which is the school leaving examination held all over India. She has also served as a school coordinator for The Times of India, Newspaper in Education. She has her own articles published in English dailies. She has been an enthusiastic language arts Instructor ever since she relocated to California. AoPS brings in a highly effective curriculum for young enthusiastic learners. With its scope for creative discussions about varied language skills from investigative journalism, creating feature articles, developing vivid short stories or historical fictions to comprehending and presenting Shakespeare on stage. These myriad of experiences have immensely fascinated Indrani and drew her to AoPS. Indrani loves the young students' inquisitiveness and the way they create wonders after they delve deeper into any new concept and successfully create an engaging piece of writing. She likes the way they bring in completely innovative angle to any kind of discussion. Her style of teaching is a blended one where she initiates discussion by sharing her own thoughts and experiences and then listens to students' point of view. She loves giving varied examples which gives concreteness to students' untamed thoughts, and ultimately students voluntarily enter into her world of exploration.

Yousif’s lifelong love of reading led him to studying writing and reporting at San Jose State University where he received a B.S. in Journalism while minoring in Philosophy. Extensive work at student publications meant he was poised to take on an editorial internship at Metro Silicon Valley during college. This internship taught him everything he needed to become a freelance writer for various publications across the nation. He also spent the majority of college working as an English tutor in his spare time, and has experience working with students of all grade levels. As an instructor at AoPS, Yousif has built a great rapport with students and always approaches teaching with patience and understanding. When he’s not teaching or working as a media critic, he enjoys listening to music, playing video games and walking his dogs.

Chris retired from full-time teaching in 2020 after 20 years of working for the San Jose Unified School District. She has a masters degree in teaching reading, a single subject credential for teaching English, a multiple subject credential for teaching elementary school, and subject extensions in science and math for teaching through the 9th grade in those areas. Prior to teaching, she worked in high tech for 25 years. After retiring from teaching, she was looking for a well-organized part-time position with a solid management team and a good curriculum. That is what drew her to AoPS. She enjoys teaching all grade levels through high school, but she particularly likes to work with elementary students. Their enthusiasm is inspiring. She likes to use direct instruction methods augmented with exemplars and Socratic instruction.

Alex Knode has a masters in English and comparative literature from San Jose State University. She is currently in her last year of research for her doctorate in educational leadership. Alex was drawn to AoPS because of its open and hands-on approach to learning, as well as the large variety of English and writing courses that are offered to students. Her favorite part of working with students is watching their excitement when they conquer a new skill or when they are able to apply their knowledge to a variety of situations. Alex describes her teacher style as very communicative. She loves having open class discussions as she believes everyone can learn from one another.

Traptilisa’s greatest passion in life is teaching math and science. Her interest in teaching stems not just from her commitment to quality education, but also her desire to enrich the lives of students. She has been tutoring and teaching middle school to college-level students for 14 years in various settings – tutoring small and large groups, individual private tutoring, and teaching in classroom settings. She is currently adjunct physics faculty at Foothill College, Los Altos. Her background includes a BS in mathematics, a master’s degree in physics from India and an MS in physics from San Jose State University. Outside the classroom, she likes to solve math puzzles and enjoys hiking and spending time with her son.

Deepti has always been passionate about teaching mathematics and science. Her interests made her start teaching students when she was in high school. Since then, she has been privately tutoring and teaching these subjects to middle and high school students. She secured 1st rank during her bachelor's degree, and was awarded a "Gold Medal" for securing 1st rank during her master's program in physics at the University of Kota, India. She has worked as a physics faculty member for the IIT-JEE foundation level at Base Educational Centre, Bangalore. She strongly believes that meaningful math education goes beyond memorizing formulas and procedures. Thus she encourages high goal setting and working with students to develop a strong foundation. Outside of teaching, she likes hiking, listening to music, and dancing, and also loves to spend time with her family.

Mr. Huy Lam has a passion for mathematics that he's been eager to share with students for over ten years. As a dedicated math teacher, Huy strives to bring math to life in the classroom, fostering love for numbers, problem-solving, and critical thinking among his students. Huy holds a bachelor's and a master’s degree in mathematics from California State University: East Bay. His educational background has equipped him with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively communicate mathematical concepts in a relatable and engaging manner. His teaching philosophy is centered on the belief that every student can succeed in mathematics. Huy is committed to creating a positive learning environment where students feel supported and encouraged to ask questions and explore mathematical ideas. Huy firmly believes that understanding the “why” behind mathematical principles is just as important as mastering “how”. When not teaching, Huy enjoys solving math problems and reading mathematics literature. For relaxation, he enjoys watching and playing chess games. His favorite chess streamer is Hikaru Nikamura. For games, Huy likes to play League of Legends. At his peak, he was a Master Ranked Solo Queue player; right now, he is an average Diamond Ranked player.

Liam is a math competition fanatic, having participated for a decade and coached for the majority of that time. He majored in math at Arizona State, pursuing a more theoretical look at the wonders of the world around us and the patterns within it. Liam has previously worked with students in Phoenix and the Bay Area for various contest prep, including MathCounts Nationals and ARML. He has also served as a teaching assistant at the high school and undergraduate levels. When not teaching, Liam enjoys science fiction novels, chess, and playing the piano. He also appreciates a good cartoon binge, or a relaxing hike.

Felicia earned her associate's degree in math from Ohlone College and bachelor's degree in applied mathematics from UC Berkeley, along with a minor in bioengineering. She tutored math, biology, and chemistry at Ohlone College and worked as an undergraduate student instructor at UC Berkeley. She was intrigued by AoPS' mission to teach students to not just know how to solve specific types of problems, but instead to be able to analyze and solve any type of challenging problem. She loves to see students get excited about being able to solve difficult problems. Felicia's classes are energetic, interactive, and often a touch chaotic.

Vivek Loganathan graduated from UC Berkeley with a statistics degree. He has a background raising capital for Private Equity firms and currently works as a math teacher. His passion for math and thought provoking discussions led him to AoPS. With students, he most loves guiding them towards their "aha" moments. He utilizes a hands-on teaching approach that engages students every day.

Lorena loves teaching mathematics at a wide spectrum of levels, ranging from elementary school through college. She earned her Math in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo, in Canada. Currently, she is working on obtaining a MA in teaching and a teaching credential at the University of Santa Clara. Lorena has been tutoring math since she was an undergrad in Mexico and loves helping her students to gain strong math foundations and most importantly, self confidence in their math abilities. When she is not in the classroom, either as a teacher or as a student, she enjoys exploring the many ecological corners that our planet offers.

Inspired by her father's profession as a teacher, Uma has been very passionate about teaching since childhood. She always loved math and was a valedictorian throughout her academics. She earned her master's degree in materials science engineering from IIT Kanpur and has done research in computational modeling of materials at IIT Bombay. Before moving to the USA, Uma served as an assistant professor at College of Engineering Pune, India, where she taught engineering undergraduates. She joined the AoPS team in 2023 and has been teaching all levels of math. She enjoys interacting with students and creates a supportive and inclusive learning environment with individualized attention where every student feels valued and motivated to excel. Guided by her own experiences of homeschooling her child, Uma believes in student-led learning and finds alignment with the philosophy of AoPS Academy. Her dynamic teaching methods with interactive discussions foster deep understanding of fundamental concepts and encourage creative problem-solving skills.

Rama has always loved math and teaching, both a credit to her family’s teaching lineage and “one can learn anything” mentality. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Rutgers University and worked in the banking industry in NYC for a few years. She stayed home with her two daughters and in watching them learn at school, decided to go back for her mathematics teaching credential and a master’s degree in education. She taught advanced math in middle school and has tutored middle and high school students. Rama believes that a strong foundation in fundamental mathematics and reasoning is critical to mastery. Rama loves to cook and bake with and for her family.. She is an avid reader, learner, and traveler. She has traveled to over 10 countries, nearly half the states in this country, and 25 national parks. Her current project is to learn Sanskrit to read and understand ancient Hindu texts.

Tam graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Applied Mathematics, specializing in statistics, and a minor in computer science. With five years of experience as a tutor and peer leader at Oak Grove High School and San Jose City College, and as an assistant center director at Mathnasium, she has developed a passion for making math engaging and accessible. Drawn to AoPS for its innovative teaching approach, Tam loves creating supportive learning environments where students can confidently tackle challenging problems. Her interactive, student-centered teaching style emphasizes understanding principles over memorization, encouraging critical thinking and active participation.

Lisa was amazed at the simplicity behind complexity in mathematics when she was a kid. After obtaining a PhD in computer science, she worked for high-tech companies in Silicon Valley for over 10 years as a software researcher and developer. Her research has mainly involved mathematics, statistics, and advanced algorithms in computer science. The last project she has worked on in the tech industry is deep learning-based 2D and 3D perception for self driving cars. In the past few years, her interest has shifted to the financial industry and equity analysis. Most recently, after she tutored her 9 year old son, she learned that she loves to teach math, especially competitive math, to kids. When she is not working, she likes reading, exercising, and traveling.

Dennis earned BA and MA degrees in statistics from the University of California at Berkeley. He has had an extensive career in data analysis, engineering, statistical analysis, and data science. Dennis has been a substitute teacher in several districts in the San Jose area, with subject areas mathematics, language arts, computer science, and robotics. He embraces the AoPS approach to engage students in creative explorations of mathematics. He loves teaching math and motivating students to find connections between concepts and investigating what-if scenarios.

Jennifer believes when students make meaningful connections in their learning process, they will thrive in knowledge and understanding. Currently working on a doctorate degree in educational psychology, Jennifer has also acquired a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Shasta Bible College & Graduate School and a BS in counseling psychology from Jessup University. Jennifer loves it when her students develop and successfully apply their language arts skills in communication, text, problem-solving skills, or in practically every aspect of their everyday lives. When not in the classroom or writing doctoral papers, Jennifer reads cookbooks, is an avid runner, traveler, and will cook for a party of two or a hundred. While a vegetarian, her husband recently gifted her with a Traeger grill because he believes carnivores need to enjoy her cooking skills as well.

Andrea is an elementary English teacher. She graduated from Santa Clara University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in communications, where she also conducted research on social media culture. Shortly afterwards, she took a trip to Taiwan where she taught English at an after-school study facility, which is where she fell in love with teaching! In her previous experiences, she taught and provided homework help for young English learners ranging from native speakers to ESL beginners at a local after-school academy. There, she came to appreciate the diversity in learning. Each student comes to the classroom with their own experiences, interests, and dreams. Being able to nurture these students into flourishing learners who can critically think and engage with the world around them has been more rewarding than she can put into words. Teaching language arts is not just about drilling grammar and spelling rules. She believes that it’s fundamentally about equipping each student with the tools they need to succeed in a fast-paced and demanding world while striving to make that world kinder. It is her honor and pleasure to help your student grow into a fluent reader, writer, and doer.

Ms. Priya has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a bachelor of education in Math from Anna University, India. The problem-solving within mathematics and the love she has for the subject inspired her to become a teacher. She has 5 years of experience teaching math and logical thinking in various International schools. Ms. Priya was drawn to AoPS because of its challenging curriculum and focus on problem-solving skills. She loves how the kids come up with their own ideas to solve a challenging problem, the different experiences the kids bring to the classroom, and how she learns something new from them every day. She especially loves that AHA moment when her kids crack a challenging problem or the warmup question. Ms. Priya focuses on the problem-solving, almost puzzle-like aspect of mathematics and shows kids how fun solving problems could be.

Sandhya’s passion for teaching math was instilled through decades of watching her mom teach with utmost passion. She has an engineering degree in computer science from India and a master's degree in teaching from Rossier School of Education (USC). Sandhya first came across Beast Academy when her daughter was 6, and has been an ardent fan ever since. Sandhya self-identifies as a “carb-ivore” and strongly believes that travel is the best teacher. Her favorite pastime is sleep, though she also enjoys hand embroidery, reading, hiking and traveling.

Marc got a B.A. and a secondary teaching credential from U. C. Berkeley. He was attracted to teaching at AoPS because of the enthusiastic students and the great curriculum. He loves teaching math in general because he likes students and he likes math. His teaching style is to try to make the class fun and to emphasize visualization.

Eric is a graduate of the U of Massachusetts with a degree in computer engineering. He then went on to graduate school at U of Minnesota where he majored in semiconductor physics and got a MSEE degree. After that, he worked for 30 years at Intel Corp designing technology and CPUs as a physicist and electrical engineer. Eric retired from engineering in 2015 and has been teaching math, computer science and physics since then. Eric was referred to AoPS from a fellow teacher who learned about his desired teaching style of a conversational classroom. As a former professional engineer, Eric is used to working as a team. As a teacher, he considers the students as part of the team and they work together to solve problems.

Aaron has a bachelor's degree in computer science, as well as years of experience in tutoring mathematics. He was drawn to AoPS because it gives him the ability to help youth expand their academic knowledge, within his schedule. What Aaron loves most about working with students is the ability to help younger people get a leg up in their academic careers. His teaching style is question-based; he wants to make sure everyone understands before moving on.

Armed with a Master's in Education and Leadership from Mills College in Oakland, Suvarna brings a rich background in teaching and educational leadership to her role. Drawn to AoPS by her fervent love for teaching and her innate connection with children, she finds fulfillment in nurturing young minds within its vibrant community. Suvarna revels in the boundless curiosity of her students, finding it endlessly rewarding to guide them on their journey of discovery. Her teaching style is marked by a data-driven approach, leveraging insights to tailor instruction and maximize learning outcomes.

Anqi has been teaching math for almost 10 years. He found out that teaching is a unique way to offer your insight to help students and look at things you are already familiar with in a totally different perspective. He believes that the learning process is never meant to be a straight line. A good habit of learning and thinking would benefit the student during the lifetime. He earned his master's degree in statistics and Ph.D. in financial mathematics from University of Florida. In his free time, Anqi likes to play golf, guitar, violin, and an ancient Chinese chess game named Go (Yep, the Go in AlphaGo), reading, traveling, skateboarding, and eating LOTS of Chinese buns.

Lovepreet is a design engineer who loves teaching mathematics and complex problem-solving by creating a fun and interactive learning environment that encourages questions and discussions. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from UC Davis. While studying at UC Davis, he also worked as a tutor for the engineering department, where he tutored many students with various skill and knowledge levels. Lovepreet believes tutoring sessions should be a safe space for students to try new approaches to their work and feel comfortable making mistakes, as mistakes can often lead to the best learning experiences. In his spare time, Lovepreet likes running, hiking, and playing tennis to keep himself physically active, and he is also passionate about learning new technologies and advancements in the industry.

Ashwin has a B.S. in financial mathematics and statistics from UC Santa Barbara. As someone who used supplementary education throughout school, Ashwin understands the importance of a strong teacher and the impact that they can have on a student. He enjoys connecting with students of all ages and takes pride in creating a supportive and productive learning environment. In the classroom, Ashwin always emphasizes the value of practice and curiosity. The students at AoPS are very talented, and Ashwin is committed to providing an enriching experience for every student he gets to teach.

Ashley holds a B.S. in biological sciences and biomedical engineering and an M.S. in healthcare policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University. Her passion for teaching began at a young age, and since then, she has gained extensive experience by working at local learning centers, serving as an academic coach at her university, and offering private tutoring lessons. She was drawn to AoPS because she finds immense joy in helping elementary-level students grasp foundational concepts and understand diverse subjects in a fun and engaging way. In class, Ashley emphasizes collaboration and critical thinking to encourage problem-solving, while also tailoring her teaching to students’ learning styles and personalities so that all students can feel supported and empowered.

Jaya earned her bachelor’s degree in engineering from BITS Pilani, India and worked as a software engineer. After moving to the Bay Area, Jaya started volunteering at the Girls Who Code club at a local middle school. She was impressed by the AoPS curriculum and the student-driven teaching methodology, and has been teaching math at AoPS Santa Clara since it opened in 2019 and continues to teach at several Bay Area campuses. She believes in building strong foundations to equip her students to become creative problem solvers and lifelong learners. Jaya adopts a facilitator style of teaching by encouraging students to ask questions and try different approaches to problem solving. Students in her classroom learn by making mistakes, leading to a deeper understanding of the material.

Jyoti has been a teacher, trainer, and educator for over 4 decades. She has a master’s degree in physics from the University of Delhi, and a bachelor's degree in education. After teaching grade 11 and 12 physics and electronics for 18 years, she transitioned to designing e-learning for K-12 students and corporate clients, as part of their learning and development teams. Jyoti also worked with the UAE government to set up and implement an AP physics program in the local schools, in addition to providing teacher training and support. She is currently tutoring students for AP Physics, Calculus, Chemistry, and Statistics. Jyoti loves to find different ways to problem solve, whether for academic subjects or life in general. When she is not tutoring, she loves playing with her grandchildren, reading and learning about new things, and meditating.

Raghav's journey into the world of science and math began in high school. He used to wonder about things like why light bulbs shine in vibrant colors and why stars twinkle in the night sky. These questions ignited his curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Raghav earned a doctorate degree in applied optics from Michigan Technological University, where he specialized in understanding the secrets of light. More recently, he worked on laser technology that could bring self-driving cars into our daily lives. In addition to his scientific pursuits, Raghav dedicates his time to teaching math to students of all ages, from middle school to university. During his free moments, Raghav loves to explore new places, stay active with workouts, and indulge in nature-related documentaries. His mission is to infuse the world with wonder and excitement.

When Rob was in second grade, he took part in a gifted enrichment program, but it met only once a week. “That left me wanting more, most of the time, when I was in my regular class,” he says. “I joined AoPS to help provide what I wished for myself.” He was educated at Concordia University in English Literature, and taught high school English and humanities for three years while also serving as head coach for cross country and track. He took a decade off from teaching to work as a territory manager for a major shoe brand, but is happy to be in the field after searching for a school dedicated to gifted and hardworking children. "I am thrilled to be sharing my enthusiasm for broad, open-ended thinking with AoPS students, and to be helping them uncover and explore new potentialities," he says. In his spare time, you can find Rob trail running or hiking to alpine lakes and peaks.

Dr. Wu earned a BS in applied math from Wuhan University in China and a PhD in applied math from Stony Brook University. She has been teaching students at all levels of math subjects over ten years. Her favorite part of teaching is to ask challenging questions to inspire students to think deeper. She thrives in helping students build solid foundations in math by doing math games and projects. Her goal in teaching math is to help students explore their greatest potential.