- Led the development of new materials and production processes for applications in energy, defense, and aerospace- Directed a multidisciplinary team of chemists, chemical engineers, and mechanical engineers as the lead scientist- Authored technical proposals to secure contract funding for new material technologies, encompassing all phases of research from initial concept through scale-up production and economic analysis- Communicated technical progress internally to management and externally to customers and government agencies through technical reports and presentations- Created and tracked project plans, timelines, funding, milestones, and risk mitigation strategies- Interacted with external customers and material suppliers to understand market needs and supply chains- Assessed chemical and laboratory safety hazards and developed standard operating procedures (SOPs)- Led laboratory efforts to develop novel coatings, adsorbents, and adhesives using diverse chemistries such as hydrophilic zwitterions and hydrophobic silicones- Leveraged azide-alkyne click chemistry to design and synthesize novel rapidly curing, non-polyurethane polymers- Developed a process to produce energetic thermoplastics for propellant applications, successfully reducing batch times from greater than 2 days to less than 1 hour- Implemented design of experiments (DOE) and statistical analysis approach to optimize chemical formulations- Built process models to conduct techno-economic analyses for the scale-up of a pilot chemical plant, providing estimates of capital and operating expenses (CAPEX, OPEX) and return on investment (ROI)- Used a variety of analytical chemistry techniques, including spectroscopy and diffractometry (NMR, FTIR, UV-Vis-NIR, EDX, ICP-OES, XRD, fluorescence), chromatography (GC-MS, GPC), thermal analysis (DSC, TGA), and microscopy (SEM, optical light) to characterize the properties of materials and track changes in processes

Research: - Conducted research in heterogenous catalysis with emphasis on using spectroscopy to determine the nature of catalyst active sites and carbonaceous surface intermediates- Led a collaborative research effort bridging experimental and computational disciplines, resulting in 3 peer reviewed publications and 5 conference presentations- Identified key reaction intermediates, elucidated complex chemical pathways, and explored catalyst deactivation mechanisms in the conversion of methanol to olefins on zeolite catalysts- Established new correlations in spectroscopic signatures of organic molecules, allowing for quantitative identification of carbocations in liquid acid catalysts and on solid porous catalysts- Developed in situ spectroscopic methods coupled with online gas phase product analysis to track the transformation of chemical intermediates during continuous flow reactions- Used analytical techniques for modification and characterization of porous materials (zeolites and metal oxides) - Expertise with transmission and diffuse reflectance infrared (IR) and ultraviolet–visible-near infrared (UV–Vis-NIR) spectroscopies, gas chromatography (GC), mass spectrometry (MS), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen physisorptionTeaching:- Served as a graduate teaching assistant for two senior undergraduate chemical engineering lectures- Responsibilities included grading homework/exams, developing solutions to problem sets, proctoring exams, and holding office hours- Course Titles: Physical Chemistry, Physical and Chemical Processing of Materials

Research:- Conducted research in polymer science with emphasis on developing materials from sustainable resources, resulting in 1 peer reviewed publication, 1 US patent, and 3 conference presentations- Patented new bisphenol-alternative polymers through a collaboration with the Army Research Laboratory- Developed new thermosetting epoxy resins from renewable feedstocks for DoD composite applications- Synthesized new monomers providing reduced endocrine disruption for use in epoxy and polycarbonate resins- Characterized polymer thermomechanical and viscoelastic properties to determine structure / property relationships- Expertise in epoxy-amine thermosetting resins and polycarbonate thermoplastics- Used analytical techniques to characterize polymer properties, including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR & 13C NMR), infrared spectroscopy (IR), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), flash chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC)- Instrumental in designing and setting up a new research laboratory- Mentored a team of 3 undergraduate researchersTeaching Assistant:- Served as a graduate teaching assistant for freshman and senior undergraduate chemical engineering laboratories- Responsibilities included demonstrating laboratory techniques and the use of statistical design of experiments (DOE) for shell & tube heat exchangers, gas permeation-membrane separations, packed column hydraulics, and biodiesel production in a micro-pilot scale laboratory- Course Titles: Engineering Clinic, Unit Operations and Experimental Design