Growing up in Transfer, Pennsylvania. Jeffry D. Madura had no idea what he wanted to be when he grew up. Then, in the fifth grade, he started testing soil and the sparks started to fly- he had instantly developed an interest in science. It wasn't long before he dumped the soil to move on to bigger and better things.
As a high school student Jeffry was your average jock, spending his time on the basketball court and the football field at Reynolds High School. "Because there were no computers at the time, it was hard to be a nerd." Jeffry explains, even though he loved biology, chemistry, and physics.
After four years of being a star athlete, Jeffry moved on to Thiel college, where he declared a major of chemistry. He gave up being a star athlete and quit athletics to become a star pupil. There were 4 good faculty members that gave him the love of chemistry he still has today.
Knowing he wanted to continue his education, he tried out Purdue University to get his Ph.D in chemistry. His thesis was on gas phase reactions. Although it may be hard to believe, Jeffry did struggle to pass his qualifying exams. He was given 4 hours to answer 8 questions, an almost impossible task when the subject is physical chemistry. The only thing he regrets is not going as a Post Doc.
It wasn't long before he took on the challenging role as Chair of Duquesne University's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "It was a real learning experience learning to juggle." He explains. It was most rewarding seeing his faculty becoming successful. After 10 years, he stepped down. His philosophy is to get new ideas, new new energy. Now, his goal is to train as many students as possible. He continues to share his gifts and touch almost every student he meets.
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