Dr. Pete Ludovice is a funny man. It doesn’t matter that he has a Ph.D. from MIT, and that his day job includes being an associate professor at the School of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology; he still draws a crowd to his comedy shows. In fact, he calls his humor, geek humor. He’s a regular performer at the Red Door Playhouse in Roswell as part of the “Behind the Red Door” show. The show is described as “stand-up comedy for grown-ups that occasionally requires the use of their brain.”

Pete was the quietest kid in school until the 7th grade, when he got the bug for performing at his middle school variety show. However, he didn’t get on stage as an adult until 2004. He finally got the nerve to perform at an open mic night at the Funny Farm Comedy Club in Roswell and has been doing comedy ever since, using his work as a professor to provide stories for his routine.

Dr. Ludovice tries to mix humor into all aspects of his life. He researches humor as a catalyst for innovation; directs a Living Learning Group on the use of humor in innovation, communication and education; and hosts a weekly “Science, Only Funnier” radio show on WREK-Atlanta. On the radio show, Dr. Ludovice interviews the ultra geek to the ultra wacky, and everyone in between.

Dr. Ludovice hosts numerous comedy shows around Atlanta including “Caffeinated Comedy” on Tuesdays at the Urban Grind in Midtown, and he performs at corporate and science events around the world. He enjoys making people laugh with his own brand of geek humor, especially intelligent audiences who need a humor break. His web site, drpetecomedy.com, states that he proves that “engineers can be funny and not just funny-looking.” A busy father of two, Dr. Ludovice has lived in East Cobb for 15 years and credits a very understanding wife with allowing him to pursue his dreams. “Once I got on stage, I was hooked,” he said, “However, I still plan to keep my day job.”