I am a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University advised by Prof. Mercouri G. Kanatzidis graduating in the winter quarter of the 2022-2023 academic year. My interests lie in the discovery and characterization of novel crystalline materials with a focus on alkali metal chalcogenides for use in energy storage, neutron detection, and ion exchange applications. In the pursuit of my work I have employed a wide range of synthetic techniques from high temperature reactions (>1000 °C) in fused silica to hydrothermal synthesis and intercalation chemistry. My research philosophy is centered on the development of fundamental understand of synthesis science, structure-property relationships, and bonding.