My focus in the R&D labs was on development of new adhesive technologies. In this role, I developed expertise in:solventless processing of pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA),hot melt extrusion, coating, and radiation curing of PSAs,PSA testing, and formulation development,free radical polymerization,effects of raw materials and processing conditions on final PSA properties.I also used statistical analysis and experimental design in formulation development and fundamental understanding of material properties.

• Synthesized polymers by anionic and RAFT polymerization• Developed structure–property relationships through rheological and thermal characterization • Investigated polymer diffusion in miscible blends using forced Rayleigh scattering - a complex, direct method of measuring diffusivities in different media• Performed synthesis of organic dyes for attaching to polymers for diffusion studies• Independently developed a novel approach for analyzing polymer blend dynamics • Supervised and assisted an industrial summer intern for investigating diffusion in drug coated stents

• Synthesized polymers using free-radical polymerization• Performed sorption and diffusion studies on photoresists• Constructed and maintained complex, temperature and pressure controlled, multi-chamber setup for sorption studies• Automated experiments utilizing LabVIEW software

• Performed feasibility studies for replacing and automating production equipment• Conducted process optimization studies to increase overall equipment efficiency• Performed troubleshooting of malfunctioning/underperforming equipment• Designed and executed product yield studies• Participated in developing process control sequences for a new process• Interacted with external vendors to solicit bids for installation of new process equipment