I am a condensed matter physicist performing research in the Fatigue and Fracture Group within the Materials Measurement Laboratory at NIST. My research focuses on understanding the combination of forces and environments that lead to failure in materials. Specifically, I conduct a variety of mechanical tests on steels and welds in the presence of hydrogen to understand mechanisms of embrittlement and crack propagation.In addition to mechanical testing at NIST, I have over a decade of hands on experience working at reactor-based and spallation neutron sources, as well as synchrotron x-ray facilities. I have applied these techniques to investigate atomic structure and dynamics of materials ranging from biological systems to energy storage devices, as well as fundamental neutron physics. Most recently in my role at NIST, I have used neutron and x-ray beamlines to measure residual stress in pipeline welds and microstructure evolution at a crack tip during in-situ fatiguing in hydrogen. Aside from my laboratory duties, I enjoy many outdoor hobbies (canoeing, bicycling, hiking, skiing, etc). I have always been passionate about the environment, learning new things, and exploration, which I believe ultimately drove me to pursue a career in the sciences.
Listed skills include Physics, Science, Spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, and 19 others.