PhD Candidate in Chemistry at Adelaide University with experience in teaching chemistry, maths, and foreign languages in Australia, Japan, and El Salvador.

I have known Gerardo for years (he is my partner). While I have never been an official student of his, I have learned an incredible amount from him just by being around him and asking questions.

What I appreciate most about Gerardo’s teaching is how deep his knowledges go, while still making everything feel genuinely understandable. I can ask him something completely out of the blue like “How do clouds form?”, “What is surface tension?”, or “What is a proton?” and he will explain it in a way that is detailed but never overwhelming. He is great at meeting you where you are, using simple language, clear examples, and building the idea step by step so it actually sticks.

One of my favourite things is that he does not pretend to know everything. If he is unsure, he will happily look it up, or even better, we will learn it together. He has amazing big-picture thinking where he can connect puzzle pieces across topics and help make sense of things I would not be able to figure out as easily on my own.

A shared experience I still remember vividly is me asking how water manages to move through a tree, and Gerardo walking me through capillary action in a way that made the whole system feel understandable yet fascinating.

Gerardo has strong disciplinary knowledge, especially in chemistry and maths, but what really sets him apart is how he applies it to systems and real-world questions outside his direct field. He makes learning feel exciting, curious, and enjoyable.

I know I am biased, but he is the best teacher I know, hands down.