My chemical romance started with a need to understand “why” – where color came from, how info is stored on vinyl and cassettes, and (of course) why leaves in the New England woods created light when set afire. I pursued that understanding under the mentorship of the most incredible faculty at Colby College (Maine), earning a BA in Chemistry. I needed to know more, and earned a PhD from the University of Utah in the area of hybrid organic-inorganic materials, specifically metastable organic compounds for magnetic materials.
I was awarded a National Academies of Science (National Research Council) Postdoctoral Fellowship to work with stranger things (ionic liquids) for energy and materials applications at the US Air Force Academy, and expanded upon that work at Los Alamos National Laboratory to help address today’s scientific challenges in energy and national security. My professional goals have always included working with undergraduate students in learning chemistry and its connectivity to life, and collaborating with students in fundamental and applied research.
Learn more about the Research Group, and publications in Google Scholar profile.
Also find out more about our regional Science Café! and the Center for Climate Resilience and Sustainability
Professional Experience
2012 – present Utah Tech University, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
2015 – 2022 Utah Tech University, Director of the Research Office
2017 – 2021 Utah Tech University, Department Chair – Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Biochemistry, Earth and Environmental Sciences)
2004 – 2012 Los Alamos National Laboratory, Scientist in Materials Physics and Applications
2002 – 2004 US Air Force Research Laboratory (USAFA), National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow