About Us

Meet our instructors

Our Mission

Bringing academic excellence to every student

Our mission is to bridge the gap in school resources by providing exceptional academic support and instruction. We strive to ensure students transition smoothly to high school while encouraging them to delve deeply into their areas of interest. Our team of instructors, hailing from prestigious universities from around the United States, is dedicated to helping students uncover their passions and emerge as leaders in their chosen fields.

Our Story

With the goal of expanding academic opportunities for more students, the club leaders of the Basis Independent Silicon Valley USABO Club launched the BioBrawl biology competition in May 2024, featuring eight teams and over 40 participants. Building on this success, we soon founded HelixEd to broaden our educational offerings beyond biology by introducing online summer courses in Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Economics for middle school to early high school students. These courses are taught by instructors from top universities and supported by high school TAs with excellent academic records, creating a vibrant and supportive learning community. Since its inception, HelixEd has grown into a thriving community, providing valuable educational experiences to an increasing number of students.

Our Team

Founders

Ivan Zhang

Chief Founder, Biology Instructor

University of California, Berkeley

instructor

Ivan Zhang graduated from BASIS Independent Silicon Valley and is a rising freshman at UC Berkeley studying Molecular and Cell Biology. Ivan has completed Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry, and self-studied AP Biology and AP Chemistry. His dedication to the life sciences led him to become a USABO semi-finalist. During high school, Ivan headed the Biology and Economics clubs and organized a Biology Bowl for middle school students. Additionally, he served as a teaching assistant for introductory chemistry at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley.

Angela Wang

Co-Founder, Biology TA

Basis Independent Silicon Valley

instructor

Angela Wang is a rising senior at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. Having taken Honors Biology and Honors Chemistry, Angela has earned 5's on both AP Biology and AP Chemistry. To further her passion for biology, Angela self-studied for various biology olympiads, becoming a two-time British Biology Olympiad gold medalist and USABO semifinalist. At school, Angela is also the co-president of BISV's Biology Olympiad Club.

Our Instructors

Sidhant Chaliha

Physics Instructor

Princeton University

instructor

Sidhant Chaliha is a graduated senior from BASIS Independent Silicon Valley and a rising freshman at Princeton University, studying physics and mathematics. He has taken all of the AP Physics exams offered, has scored numerous bronze medals at the US Physics Olympiad, and he considers himself a lifelong student of physics, with the belief that it holds the deepest possible description of nature.

Derrick Liu

Chemistry Instructor

Johns Hopkins University

instructor

Derrick Liu graduated from BASIS Independent Silicon Valley and is a rising sophomore at Johns Hopkins University, studying chemical engineering. He has taken Honors Chemistry, AP Chemistry, and college-level introductory and inorganic chemistry and excelled in all courses. Derrick also has extensive tutoring experience, having been a teaching assistant for introductory chemistry at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley and a mathematics tutor at AlphaStar academy.

Emily Dai

Chemistry Instructor

University of California, Berkeley

instructor

Emily Dai graduated from BASIS Independent Silicon Valley and is a rising sophomore at UC Berkeley studying chemistry. She has taken Honors Chemistry, AP Chemistry, and college-level introductory chemistry. Emily has tutored high schoolers at Berkeley High School and will be a tutor for the UC Berkeley Peer Tutoring Center in the fall.

Jack Xu

Economics Instructor

University of Michigan

instructor

Jack Xu is a graduated senior from William Fremd High School and a rising freshman at University of Michigan, studying Business Administration and Data Science through the Ross School of Business. He has taken and scored 5s on all of the AP Economics exams offered and spent his past year as an intern for his teacher’s AP Macroeconomics class.

Cindy Xue

Economics Instructor

University of California, Berkeley

instructor

Cindy Xue is a graduated senior from Torrey Pines High School and a rising freshman at University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business, studying Business Administration and Data Science. She scored a 5 in the AP Macroeconomics exam and excelled through the course.

Our TAs

Brianna Zhang

Physics TA

Basis Independent Silicon Valley

instructor

Brianna Zheng is a rising senior at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. She has taken all of the physics APs, receiving 5s on AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, and AP Physics C: Mechanics and AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. She received an Honorable Mention at the United States Physics Olympiad. She hopes to share the beauty of physics and its connection to everyday occurrences with others.

Kevin Zhang

Physics TA

The King's Academy

instructor

Kevin Zhang is a junior at The King's Academy. He has taken AP Physics 1 with a 5 and is part of his school's physics and robotics team. He is excited to share his passion for physics with others.

Lucas Quan

Physics TA

Basis Independent Silicon Valley

instructor

Lucas Quan is a rising sophomore at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. He has taken AP Physics 1 and got a 5. He has received the same number of USAPhO gold medals as Professor Sidhant Chaliha. He was also on the BISV science bowl team B as a physics main.

Nathan Zhao

Chemistry TA

Basis Independent Silicon Valley

instructor

Nathan Zhao is a rising junior at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. He has achieved gold for duos and bronze for team in the Berkeley Chemistry Tournament (BCT). He has also received a 5 on AP Chemistry.

Eric Li

Biology TA

Basis Independent Silicon Valley

instructor

Eric Li is a rising sophomore at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. He has excelled in honors biology and participated actively in the USABO club, enriching his understanding of the field of natural sciences. He aspires to empower others to learn biology by sharing effective learning tools and resources.

Antony Wang

Biology TA

Basis Independent Silicon Valley

instructor

Antony is a rising senior at BISV. He has a strong background in STEM and has earned a score of 5 on AP biology. Antony has also achieved a top 125 score on the USA Biology Olympiad. At school, he is co-president of the USABO club and vice president of the neuroscience club.

Larry Zhao

Biology TA

Basis Independent Silicon Valley

instructor

Larry Zhao is a rising freshman at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley. He has achieved gold for both the UKBC and the BiBO. He also made quarterfinals in the NBB, and will be teaching for the middle school branch of the USABO club next year.