Bringing a background in advanced research and high school education, Sam Lederer teaches AP Physics C and Research. After earning his bachelor’s degree in physics at Harvard and Ph.D. at Stanford, he completed postdoctoral fellowships in theoretical physics at several institutions, including UC Berkeley. Having started his career teaching high school physics, he chose to return to the classroom for the opportunity to work directly with students.
“A couple of years into the UC Berkeley postdoc, I decided it was time for a change," Dr. Lederer said. “I was interested in something with more people and more of an impact, so I decided that getting back into teaching was the right call. I’m excited that the students really seem to love science — the fact that there are like five sections of AP Physics C of which I’m teaching three of them at a school of this size, it’s just staggering.”
Fun fact: Became interested in physics after watching Top Gun
Favorite niche physics fact: Some materials solidify when heated instead of melting
Favorite movies: Casablanca and The Big Lebowski