Peter Behr

If my life is any indication, pursuing math approaches statistical inevitability when you are raised in a family where your dad, an uncle, and an aunt each hold a math Ph.D. After flirting with physics at the University of Chicago, I returned to my family tradition and finished a degree of my own in math.

I had the fortune of being taught calculus in the Moore Method, a year-long exposition of calculus from the perspective of elementary topology, where students teach each other rigorous proofs under the close guidance of instructors. This unusual approach, along with a year as a calculus teaching assistant, gave me a lasting appreciation of how math education can take very diverse forms. I also learned to focus on deep and fundamental logical skills, and I enjoyed how rewarding math can be both as a learner and teacher. 

After college, I explored careers as a painter and composer before working as a software engineer, a designer and illustrator, an apparel product designer, and a translator. I then took a volunteer tutoring position which rekindled an interest in pedagogy, and I continued to pursue opportunities to work as a tutor. The 1-on-1 format of tutoring allows me to conduct productive and enjoyable sessions that target my students’ unique interests, understanding, and goals, and I find watching them succeed immensely rewarding.

Within math, my heart belongs to abstract algebra, and I’m especially interested in any application of visualization, statistical analysis, and computation to real-world mathematical problems. My favorite geometric object is Costa’s minimal surface, and I’ll eagerly debate whether or not pi is wrong.

Beyond math, I enjoy playing clarinet & saxophone, scuba diving, fiddling with DIY projects, bungling ambitious cooking attempts, and supporting the Oakland A’s.