My research focuses on the use of synchrotron x-rays to characterize interesting materials, especially materials with applications in the renewable energy industry. I've recently worked on water/metal oxide interfaces and on Pt nanoparticle arrays. My main experimental probe is x-ray diffraction, but I like to work with a combination of techniques to reveal the behavior of a system.I'm good with my hands and enjoy engineering new experiments.I'm also good at teaching physics at the college level.Specialties: Synchrotron radiation techniques: x-ray diffraction (XRD), crystal truncation rod (CTR), reflectivity (XRR), diffraction microscopy (3DXRD/HEDM)Microscopy techniques: UHV and environmental STM and AFM, SEMLaboratory techniques: contact angle measurement (CAM), LEED, surface preparation of metals, metal oxides, and silicate mineralsProgramming and analysis skills: Monte Carlo fitting and simulation, programming in Python and C. Familiar but nonexpert with Matlab, C++, assembly language.