I was born just north of Detroit, MI, went to high school in Vancouver, WA, and then moved to Pittsburgh, PA to attend Carnegie Mellon University. While at Carnegie Mellon, I completed dual degrees in Materials Science and Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. I was a captain of Carnegie Mellon's 2006 football team which reached the second round of the NCAA DIII playoffs earning it distinction as the winningest team (11-1) in the university's history. Supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, my graduate research has been advised by professors Gui Bazan and Ed Kramer. In 2012, I was awarded the Frank J. Padden Jr. award for "excellence in polymer physics research" by the American Physical Society.

Current Research

I am interested in understanding how processing conditions affect the nanoscale morphology of plastic solar cells. Unfortunately, despite the potential of these devices to dramatically reduce carbon emissions, solution processing conditions capable of generating functional plastic solar cells remain largely a result of empirical optimization procedures. My research aims to develop fundamental mechanisms by which processing conditions may be used to direct the self assembly of highly efficient and inexpensive plastic solar cells.