Award-Winning Physical Chemistry Tutors
serving Ann Arbor, MI

Kirby's biochemistry degree at Michigan meant grinding through the thermodynamics and kinetics that sit at the heart of p-chem — Gibbs free energy calculations, equilibrium derivations, and the statistical mechanics of molecular systems were baked into her upper-level coursework. She breaks down the calculus-heavy formalism by keeping each variable tied to the chemical reality it represents, so a daunting derivation like a Clausius-Clapeyron equation reads as a description of phase behavior rather than an abstract math exercise. Rated 4.9 by students.

Decades as a PhD chemical engineer meant Steven was solving Clausius-Clapeyron problems, reaction kinetics models, and energy balance derivations long before they were textbook exercises — they were daily work. He breaks down p-chem's toughest material by explaining a concept one way, re-explaining it from a different angle, then grounding it in a real engineering application where the math actually matters. Rated 4.9 by students.

Differential equations, calculus, and organic chemistry all sit in Nate's regular teaching rotation, which means he's constantly moving between the math and the chemistry that p-chem smashes together — and he knows exactly where students lose the thread between the two. He zeroes in on building intuition around concepts like chemical potential and equilibrium thermodynamics by tying each derivation back to the reaction behavior students already recognize from general and organic chemistry. Rated 5.0 by students.

I grew up in the Boston area and now live in Citrus County, Florida. I graduated from MIT in chemical engineering and worked for many years as a chemical process engineer, so I have a strong background in math and science, especially chemistry and thermodynamics. I've also been granted six U.S. patents. When the pandemic hit us, I moved to Florida and did part-time work as a chess tutor, then became a substitute teacher in the middle and high schools in our district. I enjoyed working with the students, many of whom had difficulty learning in big classes with many disruptions. I found that I could best help these students by using real-world examples to teach difficult concepts in a new way. Often, then, the student would come away with a new perspective and a much better understanding of the concept. I was happy to be able to help. These days as a VT tutor, I continue to use, whenever possible, real-world examples in my own material in chemistry and thermodynamics.

Pre-med coursework at Rutgers — graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 — put Sam through the gauntlet of thermodynamics, kinetics, and quantum chemistry that p-chem demands, all while building the calculus fluency needed to survive dense derivations. He approaches topics like enthalpy, entropy, and rate laws by stripping each equation back to the physical scenario it models, making the leap from math to molecular meaning less painful.

I am currently a graduate student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware. I am working on using magnetic and flow fields to create advanced materials by directing the self-assembly process of nanoparticles . I have tutored students in Chemistry, Physics and Math all throughout undergraduate and graduate work. I truly enjoy breaking material down into its core components that allows the students to understand complicated information.

Pre-med coursework at Rice plus dual degrees in environmental sciences and ecology meant Daniel was solving energy balance problems and applying thermodynamic reasoning to natural systems well before encountering p-chem's formal derivations. His lab technician work at Rice keeps the quantitative skills sharp — setting up calculations involving enthalpy, equilibrium, and kinetic models is part of the daily routine, not a distant textbook memory.

A physics degree gives Cory something many p-chem tutors lack — native comfort with the quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics that chemistry students often encounter for the first time in this course. He treats topics like wave functions, partition functions, and thermodynamic state variables as extensions of the physics he already thinks in, then builds the chemical context around them. Rated 4.9 by students.

Thermodynamics, kinetics, and quantum mechanics all converge in physical chemistry — and that's exactly where Monika's biochemistry and molecular biology training intersects. She breaks down intimidating topics like Gibbs free energy calculations and reaction rate laws by tying them to real chemical systems she studied during her PhD research. Rated 4.8 by students.

A PhD in chemical engineering means Alexander spent years deriving and applying the exact thermodynamic frameworks — equations of state, phase equilibria, transport phenomena — that p-chem students encounter stripped of their engineering context. His biosystems engineering background adds a second layer, connecting statistical mechanics and kinetics to real molecular systems rather than leaving them as abstract formalisms. Rated 4.9 by students.

Pursuing a PhD in Analytical Chemistry at UIUC means Whitney spends her days immersed in the quantitative rigor that makes p-chem so demanding — thermodynamic derivations, kinetic modeling, and the statistical mechanics underlying instrumental techniques. She's currently TAing college-level chemistry courses, which keeps her sharp on exactly where students lose the thread in topics like Gibbs free energy, phase diagrams, and partition functions. That combination of active research and daily teaching gives her a practical read on which derivations need more physical intuition and which just need cleaner math.

P-chem is where thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, and kinetics collide, and most students feel overwhelmed by the math intensity alone. Jacob's biochemistry-emphasis BS in Chemistry means he tackled these derivations firsthand — from partition functions to the Schrödinger equation — and he's skilled at unpacking the physical meaning behind each equation so the math stops feeling arbitrary. Rated 5.0 by students.

Garrett's biology degree means he already thinks in terms of systems — enzyme kinetics, membrane potentials, metabolic energy flow — which gives him a concrete anchor for the abstract math that makes p-chem so intimidating. He teaches thermodynamic and kinetic concepts by connecting derivations to the biological and chemical phenomena they describe, so something like a Gibbs free energy calculation feels like a tool rather than an exercise in symbol-pushing.