Dr. Bradley James Ridder

Bradley Ridder holds a PhD in chemical engineering from Purdue University, West Lafayette. Originally hailing from sunny Florida, Dr. Ridder's first position was as an engineer at Johnson Controls, Inc., and now he works for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland. Dr. Ridder's research interests are mainly focused on the mathematical optimization of chemical and thermodynamic processes. He has published articles on pharmaceutical crystallization, and his master's thesis was in the area of catalysis. Dr. Ridder is passionate about educating the general public about science and technology, and his writing on the subject is understandable and easy-to-read. Working as a tutor during high school and undergraduate years, and as a teaching assistant in graduate school has made him an expert at converting those funny squiggles and mathematical Greek letters into graspable English. He is the author of "Balancing Act: The Young Person's Guide to a Career in Chemical Engineering," a short book intended for high school upperclassmen and recent high school graduates who are interested in pursuing a STEM degree in college. Aside from his academic interests in mathematics and chemical engineering, Dr. Ridder also studies history of all sorts, religion, economics, the science of human intelligence, military history, and finance.