Jamie Lee Ludwig

Dr. Ludwig joined the chemistry department at Drexel in Winter 2021 as an Assistant Teaching Professor. Prior to joining the faculty at Drexel, she taught at UNC-Chapel Hill, Elon University and Rider University.

As a member of the Drexel Chemistry Department, Dr. Ludwig teaches courses throughout the Organic Chemistry sequence. In her courses Dr. Ludwig emphasizes:

  1. Problem-solving skills. Students learn how to move away from rote memorization of rules, structures etc. Instead, they focus on identifying patterns in reactivity and applying patterns to novel problems.

  2. Weeding out the necessary from the extraneous. Dr. Ludwig highlights the resumé skills of working through a complex set of data/ information and pulling out the key pieces necessary to solve a problem.

  3. Predicting deviations from normal behavior. Students are encouraged to apply fundamental understanding about chemical reactivity to predict how reactions will occur. Then they expand this understanding to explain why molecules may deviate from our predictions.

To encourage students to embrace organic chemistry and to make the subject more accessible to all, Dr. Ludwig is developing virtual textbook for students that is free of cost, user friendly, and engaging. This includes an extensive library of study guides, videos, worksheets and online quizzes to give students the opportunity to develop those important skills and move away from memorization.

Outside of Drexel, Dr. Ludwig has served as a science co-chair for the Young Leadership Council of the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine. This role allowed her to stay current on BRCA related research and to communicate the latest advances to the public.