College Station, Texas, United States
I'm an aerospace engineering Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University, where my research involves the application of laser diagnostics to fusion plasmas, high-enthalpy hypersonic environments, and combustion.
• Developing and applying optical and laser spectroscopy techniques for nuclear material control and accountancy, process monitoring, and safeguards in molten-salt reactor (MSR) systems • Employing laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and other methods to measure fuel and minor species concentrations in MSRs
• Researching applications of femtosecond two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (fs-TALIF) for atomic species density measurements in fusion research plasmas • Lead student on DOE-funded collaboration between ITER and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, focused on developing theoretical modeling tools and laser hardware for fs-TALIF experiments on the WEST tokamak • Advancing novel laser diagnostics for hypersonic ground test facilities, laboratory plasmas, and small-scale combustion setups
• Maintained and manually reset the Mach 20 high-enthalpy Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel • Supported graduate students with routine upkeep of lab hardware, including the Mach 6 Actively Controlled Expansion blowdown tunnel
• Assisted with the design of a turbomolecular pump and mass spectrometry system for residual gas characterization in the Mach 20 high-enthalpy Hypervelocity Expansion Tunnel (HXT) • Wrote Matlab scripts to post-process schlieren video of a double-wedge test article in the HXT
• Provided re-imaging, computer support, and diagnostic services to TAMU staff and faculty • Applied knowledge of Windows, Linux, and MacOS systems to solve software and hardware issues
• Managed updates and maintenance of division hardware for 40+ employees • Provided personal IT support for employees, including workstation upgrades, new interface support, and problem-solving help