I received my bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Iowa in 2013, where I spent three years doing research in a polymer laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Ned Bowden. My work in developing a new polymer synthesis technique using the Grubb’s catalyst in fabricating nanofiltration membranes was awarded first prize in the university’s undergraduate research symposium and led to one patent and a startup company, Pure Oleochemicals. I then spent a year as a research assistant in a mass spectroscopy laboratory where I worked on constructing a portable mass spectrometer capable of single-particle detection.

I began my graduate studies in physical chemistry at the University of Florida in 2014 under a competitive graduate school fellowship. In the laboratory of Dr. Kirk Schanze, I specialized in spectroscopy, using transient absorption techniques to study the excited-state dynamics of dyes, pi-conjugated oligomers and polymers, metalorganic complexes, and donor-acceptor dyads. In 2016, our laboratory moved to the University of Texas at San Antonio, where I acted as the laser laboratory facility manager, overseeing the selection, purchase, and management of all equipment therein. During this time, I shifted my focus heavily towards computational chemistry, using density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulations as both complimentary and primary techniques for conducting research. After involvement in coauthoring over a dozen publications, I received my PhD from the University of Florida in 2019 and began my postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University in 2020. Here I am primarily involved in electronic structure calculations of geometries derived from condensed phase simulations.

In my free time, I enjoy classic videogames, weightlifting, watching soccer, nature walks, camping, and electronic music.