Kim Helms Email & Phone Number

Huntsville, Alabama

Synthesize energetic materials for use in demonstrations, damage assessments, and instrument design and calibrationAnalyze synthetic products and reaction starting materials using NMR, diamond ATR-IR, and Raman spectroscopy techniques; employ thermogravimetric, DSC, and melting point analysis to ensure product qualityDesign experiments to quickly and completely fulfill customer needs. Prepare data packages, summaries, and analyses for delivery to customers and distribution to broader audiences.Conduct friction, impact, static, and heat sensitivity testing of materials using commercially available and custom-made test fixtures and high-speed videoPerform maintenance and minor repair of laboratory equipment.Write standard operating procedures for use of analytical instrumentation, project plans for experimental studies, and technical memos summarizing research findings.

Served as a subject matter expert in chemistry, propulsion, and energetic materials in national and international forumsAnalyzed raw information to produce formal assessments delivered to customers via written products, briefings, and informal communicationsRoutinely communicated complex chemistry and engineering concepts to audiences of varied technical and non-technical backgrounds in customized formats to ensure customer understandingServed as technical point of contact and primary planner for a $2M groundbreaking project to address unique customer needsIndependently and collaboratively identified and monitored new areas of interest in energetics and missile systems and employed appropriate methods to understand, evaluate, and expand on a wide scope of technical materialLead collaborative efforts between scientists, engineers, and analysts to produce complex analyses of propellant chemistryContinuously balanced complex responsibilities in a prioritized manner

Huntsville, Alabama

Independently conducted multiple sessions of organic and introductory chemistry labs each semester with 12-25 students in eachPerformed, modified, and instructed small-scale chemical synthesis procedures

Huntsville, Alabama

Identified unknown compounds using GC/MS, HPLC, and NMR instrumentationPrepared media, stock solutions, dyes, agar plates, and electrophoresis gels for entire laboratory useExpressed and isolated proteins at various scales using ion exchange column, FPLC, and DSC protocolsWrote new and modified existing procedures for enzyme assays and protein expression methodsConducted enzyme assays for functionality and inhibitionPerformed gel electrophoresis to verify protein identity and to determine molecular weight

Master’S Degree, Chemistry, 3.759 Gpa

Bachelor’S Degree, Chemistry, 3.5 Gpa

Bachelor’S Degree, Biology, 3.5 Gpa