Pleasanton, California, United States
Former postdoctoral research associate at Washington University in St. Louis under the guidance of Professor William B. Tolman. As a member of the Center for Sustainable Polymers, sustainable polymers are being synthesized using new catalysts. Chemistry Ph.D. graduate from University of Oregon Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Dissertation work involved studying the reactivity of radical cage pairs in solution under the direction of Professor David R. Tyler. This work has led to experience in photochemistry, dark room chemistry, advanced nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, as well as glove box and Schlenk-chemistry. Masters in Polymer Chemistry from University of Oregon and 4 years teaching experience of polymer chemistry at the master's level.
Research and development using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for chemicals produced by Air Liquide and associate companies. Areas of NMR expertise in polymers, organometallics, organics, and chemical/molecular dynamics in solution and gas phase.
Research and development of epoxy adhesives for aerospace carbon fiber composite materials. Usage of new and developing carbon fiber technologies for new applications. Research and development of cure modeling and kinetics of chemical reactions useful for composite materials. Heavy machinery development for curing of aerospace materials.
Former postdoctoral chemist in the lab of Professor William B. Tolman. The goal of the project is to develop competent catalysts that can be used to polymerize cyclic anhydrides and epoxides to create new polyesters. The emphasis is on creating polymers that are biodegradable and sustainable (meaning the raw materials are come from renewable resources). This research is conducted with funding and collaboration from the National Science Foundation Center for Sustainable Polymers (NSF-CSP).
The research focus was discovering how the solvent of a reaction affects the reactivity of two colliding reactive molecules. In this case, the two reactive molecules in this "solvent cage" were radicals recombining. This recombination reforms a dimer from which the radicals originated. The major finding of this research was that microviscosity was able to accurately predict the reactivity of the molecules. This was the first demonstration of the technique and solved a 50+ year issue with the field. Awarded the competitive University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Research Fellowship for 2017 and the Graduate Student Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Chemistry (2013-14)
Synthesis and characterization of poly(vinyl acetate) glues. Developed production formulas from experimental batch chemistry. Product development of urea-formaldehyde hardeners such that the resulting bond would behave like a melamine-formaldehyde adhesive. Novel synthesis using recently available monomers.