San Francisco Bay Area
Hardware teams don’t lose time because they lack effort. They lose time because failures are hard to reproduce, root cause is unclear, and decisions get stuck in “we need more testing.” That loop creates repeat failures, delayed releases, and warranty or safety risk that shows up when it’s most expensive to fix. I work on the part of the problem that decides whether teams move forward with confidence: turning messy symptoms into a verified failure mechanism and a practical corrective action. I’m a PhD-trained materials scientist with 7+ years of hands-on lab experience across national labs and applied R&D environments. My work has focused on failure-relevant behavior in polymers, thin films, and electrochemical systems, using controlled experiments and multi-modal characterization to explain what changed, why it changed, and what to do next. Here’s what I consistently bring to failure analysis and reliability work: 1) Failure mechanism investigation (RCA + evidence discipline) I approach problems like an investigation, not a guess. I define the failure signature, build hypotheses that can be tested, and use structured root-cause methods to separate noise from signal. 2) Reliability test method development (stress, exposure, reproducibility) I design experiments that reproduce failures under controlled conditions. That includes thermal and mechanical testing, environmental exposure (gas, humidity, solvent), and custom setups when standard methods don’t capture the real scenario. 3) Materials characterization + data analysis (multi-modal + Python/JMP) I use techniques like Raman, FTIR, X-ray methods, microscopy, and thermal/mechanical characterization to link structure and properties to degradation. I back conclusions with clean analysis workflows in Python/JMP so results are traceable and repeatable. I care about meaningful technical impact, hands-on lab work, and reliability outcomes that actually change what gets built, tested, and released. I also value teams that protect focus time and work with clear boundaries. If you work in failure analysis, reliability engineering, sustaining engineering, or hardware validation, I’m always open to connecting. If your team is dealing with repeat failures, slow root-cause cycles, or test results that don’t translate into decisions, feel free to reach out and connect.
Eurofins EAG Laboratories is a global leader in Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) analysis, operating the world's largest commercial SIMS facility with a fleet of 50+ instruments. As a SIMS Analyst and Material Scientist, I'm responsible for turning high-volume customer requests into repeatable SIMS measurement plans and defensible data that help semiconductor teams validate dopants/implants/impurities and make fast process decisions. - SIMS Measurement Strategy & Queue Execution: Owned 10–15 weekly customer jobs by translating requirements into SIMS test conditions and validation criteria to deliver actionable dopant/implant profiles on schedule. - Data Quality & Repeatability Improvement: Tuned ion optics and instrument parameters to optimize depth resolution and detection limits, improving measurement repeatability and reducing rework on wafer analyses. - Cross-Instrument Technical Coverage: Supported the silicon group by operating across multiple SIMS tools and job types, flexing quickly between materials, methods, and workflows to prevent bottlenecks and protect turnaround. - Wafer Prep & Process-Ready Sampling: Prepared patterned and unpatterned wafers via cleaving, polishing, mounting, and chemical etching to ensure clean surfaces, stable runs, and reliable depth profiling results. - Customer Reporting & Technical Communication: Delivered reports and technical discussions that translated complex outputs into practical conclusions, enabling customers to decide next experiments and process actions.
Sandia National Laboratories is a U.S. national laboratory delivering mission-critical research and development, test systems, and reliability insight for government and industry partners. As a Postdoctoral Research & Development Scientist, I was responsible for designing and executing hydrogen exposure and materials reliability studies to identify degradation mechanisms and deliver defensible data that informs design limits, testing strategy, and risk decisions. - Hydrogen Exposure Test Design & Execution: Built controlled polymer exposure studies in hydrogen environments to quantify performance shifts and surface failure mechanisms under stress and safety constraints. - Multi-Modal Characterization & Property Mapping: Applied tensile testing, DMA, DSC, Raman, FTIR, and X-ray methods to link structure-property changes to degradation drivers and reliability risk. - Custom Test System Development & Operation: Designed and operated in-situ/ex-situ experimental setups to enable repeatable testing, improve data fidelity, and support faster iteration across projects. - Python Data Analysis & Reproducible Workflows: Analyzed and organized large datasets with Python to improve processing efficiency, reduce manual errors, and increase reproducibility across experiments. - Program Delivery, Reporting & Lab Safety: Managed 3 concurrent projects to meet timelines and budget, producing technical reports for stakeholders while maintaining safe operation of complex systems.
UCMerced's research lab is advancing polymer and thin-film materials for responsive composites, stability, and energy-harvesting applications. As a Graduate Researcher focused on Composite Materials, I was responsible for leading polymer and composite R&D from synthesis through characterization to prototype validation, generating structure–property insights that improved material performance and reduced failure risk. - Stimuli-Responsive Materials R&D Leadership: Led polymer and composite development for low-energy responsive systems, integrating materials science and chemical engineering to improve functional performance. - Structure–Property & Failure-Relevant Diagnostics: Characterized polymers, thin films, and composites to identify degradation drivers and structure–property relationships that guided formulation and design choices. - Synthesis, Processing & Materials Characterization: Performed synthesis and analytical testing to quantify composition, morphology, and properties, enabling repeatable material builds and defensible comparisons. - Prototype Development & Performance Validation: Built lab-scale prototypes for low-grade thermal energy harvesting and evaluated performance to validate feasibility and inform next design iterations. - Lab Infrastructure, SOPs & User Enablement: Repaired and calibrated key tools, authored SOPs, and trained users on CVD, AFM, GPC, glovebox, vacuum systems, and thermal analysis equipment. - Photovoltaic Performance Testing in Simulated Vehicle Environments: Set up outdoor vehicle-simulated PV testing, monitored performance data, and ran quantitative analysis to compare automotive-integrated solar panel behavior under real conditions.
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a space mission R&D lab developing high-reliability power and propulsion technologies for spacecraft systems. As a Material Engineering Intern, focused on Li-ion Battery development, I was responsible for testing and improving Li-ion battery tolerance to deep discharge by isolating corrosion-driven failure mechanisms and guiding design changes that reduce safety risk and mission-impacting electrochemical failure modes. - Deep-Discharge Failure Investigation: Studied 0-volt tolerance in Li-ion systems by inducing abuse conditions to isolate failure mechanisms and translate findings into reliability and safety recommendations. - Materials Formulation & Corrosion Mitigation: Co-optimized electrolyte and anode materials to reduce corrosion during deep discharge, improving robustness of cells exposed to high-risk operating scenarios. - Coin Cell Fabrication & Experimental Validation: Fabricated and tested coin cells with novel formulations, executing controlled builds to validate hypotheses and compare performance across design variants. - Charge–Discharge Test Design & Data-Driven Decisions: Designed cycling and abuse-condition experiments, analyzed performance trends, and guided follow-up R&D priorities based on evidence and risk impact. - Sputtering Tool Recovery & SOP Ownership: Restored magnetron sputtering capability by replacing a sensor crystal and writing an SOP, enabling repeatable operation and reliable thin-film deposition support.
Single-Molecule Biophysics Characterization: Measured DNA stability and structural changes using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to capture nanometer and millisecond resolution data for repetitive sequence studies. - Experimental Setup & Data Collection: Prepared DNA and reagents, biofunctionalized slides, ran measurements, and captured high-quality datasets while controlling variables that drive measurement drift. - Image Processing & Quantitative Analysis: Processed microscopy images and analyzed fluorescence/FRET-derived outputs to extract lifetimes and thermodynamic parameters that supported clear, testable conclusions. - Optical Melting & Spectroscopy Validation: Used UV spectrophotometry and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy to validate sample stability and confirm conformational dynamics under controlled conditions. - Model Development From Experimental Evidence: Built a geometric model of DNA junction conformations from FRET-derived distance measurements to explain sequence-driven structural behavior. - Lab Management & Training: Supervised undergraduate research, managed day-to-day lab operations, and trained others on procedures to maintain consistency and reliable output. - Curriculum and Lab Procedure Development: Developed and tested interdisciplinary physics lab curriculum and procedures, ensuring experiments were repeatable and measurable before broader rollout. - Instructional Enablement and Pilot Execution: Led students through pilot labs and trained instructors on new procedures, successfully implementing “Optics of the Eye” and “Gel Electrophoresis” in Spring 2018.