Oh why oh why?
Of seven cheese varieties I've made, I found Mozzarella to be the most difficult. Like others have said, the temperature has to be high enough to make it melt, and there's also that PH thing that has to be checked.
For me, the Gouda and Colby were the easiest to make. I cannot believe how easy they are to make and how perfect they turn out.
The Baby Swiss was easy to make, and it looks and smells terrific. The problem was to keep it dry while curing.
The Havarti is easy to make, too. There was some oozing and smelling during curing, but that went away after three weeks, not sure why that happened.
Mascarpone was a challenge, but finally got it going with Flora Danica culture. Now I gotta work on the flavor, which I think I got it figured out.
With your chemistry background, you should be cheeseing in no time.
Have fun on your cheese adventures.