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.

Matthew went to the University of Washington for undergrad, where he received a BA in Math. He has also received an MA in Education from UC Berkeley and an MA in Mathematics from SF State. Matthew has known Art of Problem Solving since his high school days. During school, he participated in the American Mathematics Competitions and used contest math to deepen his understanding of different topics. He has always loved teaching mathematics, and he has taken on roles to guide and mentor students throughout his academic career. Matthew wants his students to see the beauty and logic behind mathematics. He expects students to ask questions, make connections, and learn through mistakes.

Kristen spent the first 20+ years of her career as a math and engineering editor for academic publishers before starting a second career as a teacher. She taught in local public and private schools, eventually focusing on the local homeschooling community. Kristen was quickly hooked by the beautiful way the AoPS curriculum explains relationships between numbers. She enjoys encouraging all of her students, seeing the unique gifts each offers. She believes that to succeed, math students need to understand written language — and she emphasizes to her language arts students the many ways they can systematize their work. Kristen creates a participatory, safe classroom, where she tries to nurture students' holistic needs. A lifelong learner, Kristen is now pursuing graduate work in education through the University of Maine.

Karina graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in anthropology, and has spent the majority of her professional career in the museum world. Having worked at four renowned museums in the bay area and having worked with students in various non-profit capacities, she has always been interested in asking questions about the nuances of society, culture, and the power of human creativity and critical thinking. Believing we are all constant students of life, she was drawn to AoPS' mission in helping future generations be the next great problem solvers for the world's most complex issues. She enjoys seeing students having fun in their AoPS classes!

Victor graduated from San Jose City College with an associate's degree in psychology. He previously worked at San Jose City College helping new and current students succeed in their college careers. Victor was drawn to AoPS because it gave him the opportunity to help students throughout their educational journey. He enjoys helping students resolve any issues they come across and aid them in a successful education.

Amber is studying to become a radiologic technologist at Foothill College in San Jose. She has held multiple roles in retail and luxury skincare and also tutored English to students in college. Amber was drawn to AoPS because it gave her the opportunity to interact with children and parents of many different backgrounds, all brought together to further their education. She enjoys working with students so that they can have the chance to better their future and create amazing realities for themselves.

Elaine is currently a rising junior at Monta Vista High School. She was drawn to AoPS by their unique problem-solving and logical thinking teaching style, as well as her enjoyment of playing AoPS online games. Elaine finds immense joy in working with students as she loves witnessing their diverse perspectives and seeing them get excited about even the smallest achievements.

William first started using AoPS textbooks back in 3rd grade. He developed an early passion for math and has been pursuing his dream to study math in college. In 8th grade, he attended the Advanced Contest Math Course at AoPS and enjoyed it while really bonding with the TA. He hopes to come back this year as an equally passionate TA.

Catharine holds a PhD in applied mathematics from UC Berkeley. She is an experienced math teacher of all levels from elementary to college mathematics. She first learned about AoPS while homeschooling her own two children and was drawn to the engaging and challenging curriculum. To put it simply: she loves working with students who are excited about math! Her teaching style centers students and their ideas. Her goal is to foster their creativity, persistence, and problem solving abilities.

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.

Addie graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in philosophy and a BA in Arabic language, and has years of professional experience as an English teacher and editor. She was initially drawn to AoPS's culture of rigor and creativity and looks forward to the time she spends with her bright, energetic students each week. A lover of language, logic, and humor, Addie focuses on teaching her students how to build critical thinking skills while engaging with complex ideas.

Thomas received a B.A in applied mathematics from U.C. Berkeley and an M.A. in mathematics from SJSU. He has taught at Mathansium and SJSU. What drew him to AoPS were both their 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. He likes to encourage students to come up with their own ideas and approaches and guide them in the right direction.

Nicolas is a PhD Candidate at Purdue University, studying number theory and arithmetic geometry. He is deeply passionate about mathematics, particularly it's depth and interconnectedness, and enjoys sharing and teaching with his students and colleagues. Having taught mathematics at all levels and backgrounds, Nicolas was drawn to the lively and high-performing environment of AoPS to share his knowledge and problem-solving skills with talented young learners. At Purdue, Nicolas organizes seminars on research-level mathematics, mentors graduate and undergraduate students, and spends his summers working with elementary through high-school level students both in and out of the classroom sharing his passion for math. His extensive background in teaching and studying mathematics has informed a unique teaching style — to use problems and concepts to convey how miraculous, diverse, and exciting mathematics can be to his students.

Brian Duckering holds multiple degrees in engineering, including a master's degree in robotic design and automatic controls. He has had multiple careers that span designing specialty robots to inspect and repair nuclear power plants, to product management and strategic marketing for cybersecurity startups. His idea of fun includes inspiring kids to find their passion and pursue excellence in everything they choose do. Starting with his own 3 children and continuing over the last 25+ years, he has coached soccer, led Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, mentored FIRST Robotics and TechChallenge teams, volunteered to support math and STEM clubs, and he frequently substitute teaches TK-12 classes in his local district. He came to AoPS as an additional avenue to have fun inspiring kids to learn. Brian's learning style is to encourage and empower students to discover their own path to problem solving strategies and skills that will stay with them for a lifetime. He believes that there is no formula — every kid has different strengths and styles that should be discovered and supported individually.

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.

Alissa is a National Board Certified Teacher in adolescent/young adult mathematics. She is currently Director of the Stanford National Board Resource Center, and Director of the University of Pennsylvania Project-Based Learning Certificate Program. She came to AoPS to return to working with students and have fun doing math! Her favorite thing about doing math is doing it with other people and seeing how their brains approach problems differently. Alissa would describe her teaching style as collaborative and silly whenever possible.

Jing deeply believes in the power of language. In college, Jing studied computer science and obtained a master's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. After she graduated, she went on to work as a software engineer in the tech industry for six years. Over the years, her love and passion for languages has never diminished and she realized that no matter how things have changed externally, she can always find inner peace in literature and writing. She is currently working her way towards a creative writing certificate at UCSD. She loves discussing writing pieces and literature with others, which is what brought her to AoPS as a language arts instructor. Connecting with young minds and supporting their growth is one of the most amazing and rewarding things she discovered in life. She teaches with an open mind and encourages students to share and exchange their thoughts.

Sierra has a bachelor's in psychology with an emphasis on social and behavioral sciences. She has taught for the last two years with AoPS and the last three years in a public charter school working with grades 3 and 4. Sierra appreciates that AoPS has such an engaging and entertaining style, targeting students' interest in learning and exciting them to learn. She loves working with students, seeing them learn and learning from them. AoPS students, especially, are filled with energy and enthusiasm. Her teaching style is silly, she gets down to students' level of understanding but teaches using things they love such as Roblox, Minecraft or meme references. At the same time, she has firm expectations so that students have a safe and structured learning environment.

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!

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.

Before joining the AoPS faculty, Petya taught at several campuses across the Bay Area and in southern California. She received her doctoral degree from the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA; and her master’s degree from the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” Bulgaria. From 2010 to 2021, she did research and fieldwork, gave talks and presentations, and published in archaeological peer-reviewed journals and volumes. Petya started teaching K-12 in 2019 and is passionate about imparting enthusiasm for learning. Some of her favorite enrichment projects include ornithology for kids, archaeological mini-dig, and orienteering with the aid of a map and compass.

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.

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.

Aviva is a dedicated writer and educator. She holds a B.A. from Barnard College, an M.F.A. from the University of California, Riverside, and an M.S. in education from Touro College, and a Ph.D. in English and creative writing at the University of Georgia. She has worked as a learning specialist, college instructor, and high school teacher. In all her courses, she teaches the craft of writing and provides a space for fun and creative expression. An accomplished writer, she has published poetry in peer-reviewed journals and is currently working on a novel. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing yoga, exploring the natural wonders of the Bay Area, and spending time with family.

Traptilisa loves teaching mathematics and physics at a wide spectrum of levels, ranging from elementary school through college. Currently, she is working as a physics instructor at Foothill College, Los Altos, California. She earned her master's degree in physics from San Jose State University, California. She has been teaching at AoPS academy since 2020. She likes to teach at AoPS as it provides an amazing platform to share her knowledge and love for math and science to all students of different communities across the Bay Area. She loves working with students as she can see them learn, grow, and become more confident in school. Her teaching style is characterized by the creation of engaging learning environments that promote critical thinking and empower students to reach their academic potential.

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.

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.

Huy 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.

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.

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. She also loves to teach math to kids and work through challenging problems with them.

Josh has a bachelor's in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's in computational math from Stanford. He has taught 11th-grade math at a KIPP charter school in Denver, and he has worked as a math tutor through the Upward Bound program in the Mission District in San Francisco. He was drawn to AoPS by the opportunity to work with highly motivated and interested students. His favorite part of working with students is kickstarting the positive feedback loop where students take interest in the material, work hard to master it, and then build confidence in their ability to do it all again.

Jesse (any pronouns) holds an M.A. in English from the University of Maine and a B.A. in English from UCLA. After trading California redwoods for Maine pines and teaching in postsecondary education, Jesse is excited to be back in the Bay Area to broaden her work with K-12 learners. Jesse was drawn to AoPS because of shared, deeply-held educational values. The focus on problem-solving complements her teaching philosophy of education as the practice of freedom. With this pedagogical foundation, she strives to cultivate within students a sense of rhetorical agency and the capacity for critical reflection. As a lifelong learner and writer herself, Jesse is committed to empowering students in their writing development and academic abilities. She is eager to continue serving students as a language arts instructor at AoPS.

John has a master's degree and is currently finishing his PhD in mathematics at UC Santa Cruz, where he is also currently and has been teaching various courses in mathematics. Being also a researcher, he is interested in solving challenging problems and finding different creative ways to attack a problem, which are two skills that students experience in AoPS classes. He enjoys having students share their own problem-solving strategies, as it also adds to his arsenal of strategies. But what he loves the most is when he sees students' faces lighting up when they realize the crucial step in solving a tough problem. As an instructor, John likes to use geometric and visual reasoning to motivate and explain concepts, and also analogies, humor, and technology to keep his classes engaging.

Ms. Priya has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a bachelor's in 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. Before moving to the US, she has experience of almost 5 years 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. What she loves most is 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 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.

Dr. Rupnik has a PhD in public health, a MS in psychology from Capella University, and a BA from the University of Wisconsin. He also has substantial education in medical anthropology through the University of Oregon. As an accredited ESL instructor, Dok has taught English to beginning and advanced level students in Indonesia, Japan and China. As a Doctor of Public Health, he has conducted social science reseach both in the US and in Asia, written professional publications and formally presented his research to various scientific organizations. Dr. Rupnik was drawn to AoPS because of its emphasis on the development of problem-solving skills through innovation and insight. As an Instructor, Dr. Rupnik truly enjoys using languagre arts materials to help academy attendees grow as problem-solvers and innovators. His teaching style could be described as a ""mentor/collaborator"" because he makes sure he is there for each step, providing feedback, encouragement, and focused guidance for each student. He provides classroom material through presentation and discussion of the concepts in each unit. He then actively guides the students through the material through polls and discussions to ensure they understand what has been presented. Through this procedure, he prepares students for completing AoPS projects and meeting the challenge of sharpening their problem-solving skills.

Luis has taught Statistics, Mathematics, and Physics for over fifteen years at universities (Ireland, Ecuador, and Venezuela) and high schools (Venezuela), and he is currently teaching Physics at the Shalem School in Palo Alto, California. He has also worked in many projects to solve real problems through deep learning, AI, machine learning, and high performance computing for companies and institutes. Recently, he moved to the US and received his green card for his extraordinary abilities (EB1 US visa) to model real phenomenon. He has a B.Sc in Education with a major in mathematics, M.Sc in Mathematics and Computer Science, and a PhD in Engineering based in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science from the University of Carabobo in Venezuela. He really enjoys teaching and loves to see his students grow in their understanding of science. He loves to use the Socratic method, a type of question-asking and question-answering argumentative debate between students and the teacher.

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.