Alex Ilchev

I am a senior materials scientist, with a PhD in Chemistry and Polymer Science as well as 5 years working in Academia and over 10 years experience working in STEM. I have worked as a lecturer for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. I have also been a practical and tutorial demonstrator for undergraduate chemistry courses.
I love inspiring my students to enjoy STEM and I try to make my lessons fun and exciting. I love to show chemistry in action, such as videos of chemical reactions or even ideas for home experiments, as these are often spectacular and such experiences are what drove me to a career in chemistry.
I believe a solid foundation is crucial to understanding a subject and I work to develop the core principles and concepts with all my students. Chemistry seemed to be a very daunting subject for me in secondary school as I did not have a good understanding of the basic principles behind chemical reactions. Once these became clear, it was much easier for me to understand the more complex aspects.
I also believe that Science is very much a philosophy and developing a scientific mindset for approaching problems is instrumental in achieving success in STEM. I challenge my students to find many ways of solving a problem and encourage them to try and develop their own methods instead of just memorizing confusing algorithms without understanding the principles by which they work.
While I do appreciate the convenience of online lessons, I am also available for in-person lessons.