Robert Jonas

I grew up in Southern California and had a wonderful high school experience both in the classroom and in my extracurricular activities. Turned on to the sciences by a sophomore chemistry teacher that made the subject so appealing that I dropped my dreams of being an architect — spurred on by a childhood passion for playing with Lego — I eventually finished top of my class in chemistry. When not devouring the latest science textbook, I was an accomplished two sport letterman and captain of the varsity water polo team. I wiled away the remainder of my free time playing sand volleyball and excelling as a certified beach bum.

When the time came to choose a college, I looked as far away from the sunny shore as possible and made the long journey to… Northern California. Attending the College of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, I earned my B.S. degree in chemistry while simultaneously undergoing an arduous conversion into a Bay Area aficionado. Turning my back on my native land, I continued my educational pursuits in the Ph.D. program in the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University. My degree was conferred in the rather quixotically sounding field of Bioinorganic Chemistry, and I eventually followed a professional career in nanotechnology.

During and after my time as a graduate student at Stanford, I pursued a variety of teaching opportunities. For six years I was a teacher and curriculum developer within my department in organic and analytical chemistry while also extending my reach as a science and math tutor in the Department of Athletics. In addition, I was an experienced test-preparation lecturer and tutor for graduate school and medical school standardized entrance exams. In an effort to touch bases with some of the brightest students of the next generation of scientists, I was a repeat offender in the annual Silicon Valley Science and Engineering Fair judging corps.

Over the past 9 years, I have spent as a test prep and chemistry tutor at AJ, I have helped hundreds of students improve their SAT/ACT scores and expand their knowledge of and appreciation for chemistry. I am proud to serve as the head of AJ’s chemistry department!

My professional interests outside of the teaching and tutoring of science include fine woodworking and free-lance sports journalism. I am an avid soccer player and backpacker, and I enjoy spending free time with my family and my ever-growing pack of companion dogs.