Alexander Parobek received his B.S. in Chemistry with Biochemistry from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He pursued graduate research at Yale University under the tutelage of Dr. Ziad Ganim where he worked to develop a novel platform for performing single-molecule IR absorption spectroscopy using optical trapping technology. During his time at Yale University, Dr. Parobek collaborated with the Yale Pathways to Science program and discovered his passion for teaching. Upon graduating from Yale University with a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2018, Dr. Parobek, inspired by his newfound interests, pursued a second Ph.D. in Chemistry at Purdue University in the area of Chemical Education Research (CER). As a member of Dr. Marcy Towns’ CER team, he conducted qualitative research on students’ conceptual transfer of energy and matter concepts. Following his graduation in 2023, he joined the Department of Chemistry at Miami University as a visiting assistant professor where he taught general chemistry.
Dr. Parobek joins the Department of Chemistry at IUB as a lecturer and to contribute to the NSF-funded Center for Chemical Innovation as the director of outreach. He is interested in evidence-based teaching in the areas of general chemistry, analytical chemistry, and physical chemistry. As an educator, Dr. Parobek is uniquely focused on the transfer of science skills and the underlying epistemologies (or beliefs) associated with chemistry learning and outreach.