The Admission Algorithm

About Dr. Alex

Hi, I’m Alex. I started The Admission Algorithm after working for 20 years as a Chemical Engineer in industry and government. Reflecting on what I’ve enjoyed most, I realized that mentoring and guiding student interns and junior colleagues always inspired and energized me.

My background is different than most other educational counselors. I’ve accomplished what my students are striving for. This tends to facilitate an instant rapport with new students and eases any reservations they may have about working with a counselor.

Dr. Alex’s “Vital Stats”

Hometown	Toronto
College	McGill University
Major	Chemical Engineering
Graduate School	California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Major / Minor	Chemical Engineering / Biology
PhD Advisor	Prof. Frances H. Arnold (2018 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry)
Places Worked	DuPont, U.S. Army Research Laboratory, MITRE
Volunteering	•eCybermission Judge & Mentor •NDSEG Graduate Fellow Mentor •NDSEG Graduate Fellowship Application Reviewer •iGEM Judge •New Castle County, Delaware Science Fair Judge •Teach Engineering Lesson Reviewer •MadSci Network answer contributor
Favorite sports team	Philadelphia Flyers

I come to this calling of being a Counselor and Mentor as a STEM professional who has hired, reviewed, mentored, designed projects for, coached, and recommended many young people as part of my job—from high school sophomores to fresh PhDs. I grew up in Toronto and earned a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal. I’m still very familiar with the Canadian university system and offer application assistance for clients interested in those schools.

After McGill, I went way south and west to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for a PhD in Chemical Engineering. It was a difficult but very rewarding experience. I chose to join a lab that seemed to be doing some of the coolest, most innovative and exciting work on engineering enzymes by literally evolving them in the lab to do new things. I really liked the vibe and there were so many other students and postdocs in the lab to learn from and hang out with. Everyone else was there because the research was so exciting to them too. Many had traveled a lot farther than I had to be there. We were all working so hard and having so much fun that we barely realized at the time where all our work was leading.

In 2018, our leader and my PhD advisor, Frances Arnold won a Nobel prize for her career’s work in pioneering the Directed Evolution method for engineering enzymes.

In this photo from 2003, that’s me in red next to my PhD advisor, Prof. Frances Arnold, who won a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2018!

Since receiving my PhD from Caltech, I’ve worked for the organizations listed in the table above, generally in the area of nonmedical biotechnologies such as genetically engineering organisms to make new or different chemicals. Along the way, I’ve developed some products, published some articles, and invented some patents.

Since 2018 I’ve volunteered for eCybermission, a national STEM competition for middle schoolers. As a CyberGuide and Mission Mentor, I help students refine their ideas into projects that can realistically be completed in the allotted time, and serve as a judge of the final projects. I know I’m helping these kids with some of their first real STEM projects. But I also get a lot in return. Their enthusiasm for the promise of science and engineering to improve lives and the world is contagious and helps me stay motivated and excited about my own work. In 2022 eCybermission recognized me as their CyberGuide of the Year.

In addition to my experience as an eCybermission CyberGuide and Mission Mentor, I’ve also mentored many high school and college students as part of my job. These projects have resulted in research publications, market analyses, amazing programs to control a lab robot, and an artificial intelligence approach to developing a “programming language” for synthetic biology. I’ve leveraged my passion for and experience with student mentoring into my popular student research project mentoring service.

On the personal front, I’ve been married since 2004 and live in Montgomery County, Maryland with my wife, high school senior daughter, and our Border Collie mix, Herschel. I still play ice hockey and also enjoy DIY home projects, standup comedy, sour beer, and listening to lots of podcasts.

info@admissionalgorithm.com