Welcome, Todd Elder!

Todd Elder, Honors Chemistry Teacher

Tell us about yourself.
Since early in high school I knew Chemistry was for me. It was probably that junior chemistry set I got for Christmas at an early age. I received my undergrad degree at Wheaton College and then went on get a Masters degree in Chemistry , followed by a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry. I like being active and have currently gotten the triathlon bug. When not out training for that, I can usually be found in the kitchen experimenting with some new recipe.

Tell us the story of how God brought you to work at EC.
After a post-doctoral stint at the University of Pennsylvania, I started my career as a research scientist at ISP in Wayne investigating a variety personal care products. From there, I moved NC to work at Ciba Specialty Chemicals where I was involved numerous projects ranging from antimicrobials to polymeric microencapsulation. After 2 years, I was relocated back to NJ to continue my work at Ciba,

Throughout my career, I have worked along side both high school and college students who wished to have a internship experience. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching these students grow in their understanding of the sciences. When my son started at ECHS, the school was starting up a STEAM program and I volunteered to help in whatever capacity. This lead to a more formal role and now am afforded the opportunity to teach Honors Chemistry. God has certainly taken me on an interesting journey during my career and am certain that this is where he wants me now.

Why Eastern Christian?
Eastern Christian is a school that puts faith into action. This is reflected in everything the students do from classwork to the extracurricular activities. Faith and reason are not mutually exclusive and it is a real treat to see these student address real world issues from a Christian perspective.