Hometown, Country:
Bartlesville, OK, USA
Academic history prior to coming to MIT:
B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering at MIT
What brought you to MIT?
MIT has a very unique community. Everyone here is passionate about learning new things and pushing the boundaries of science. Being in that type of environment is incredibly inspiring, and it greatly enhances my interests in nanotechnology and materials science.
What problem are you trying to solve with your current research and what are some possible applications?
My research focuses on developing a new fabrication technique for creating microspheres and nanoparticles inside of a fiber. Currently, most nanoparticles are formed using a ‘bottom up’ approach. This approach involves atoms coming together to form nanoparticles, and is usually done through wet chemistry. The exciting aspect of this new fabrication technique is that it uses a ‘top down’ approach: a bulk piece of material is drawn into a fiber, and from there is broken up into microspheres and nanoparticles. This technique allows for better size control and homogeneity of the particles, which is extremely useful for applications in both the electronics industry and in biomedical research.
What interests you most about your research?
What I love about my research is that it has a wide variety of applications associated with it. Many different disciplines and research areas are looking toward nanotechnology to solve important problems, and this fabrication technique definitely has the potential to help advance knowledge in those areas.
What are your future plans?
My future plan is to ultimately use my knowledge to make a positive impact on the world. I can see myself reaching that goal by either becoming a professor or by being in a position of management in industry.