I grew up in Massachusetts and began studying chemistry at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Curiosity led me to study science where I first became aware of the huge possibilities presented by functional organic materials. Eager to get involved in actual research in my sophomore year, I joined the lab of Professor Dhandapani Venkataraman, synthesizing pi-conjugated materials for organic photovoltaics. The next couple of years fueled my excitement about synthesis and materials research. With a new synthetic toolbox and appreciation for the field of organic electronics, I found a perfect fit at UCSB working in the Bazan group.

Current Research

My research is primarily focused in the field of organic photovoltaics. My research began with the examination of structure property relationships of a novel class of molecular organic semiconductors that are capable of accessing high-performance in bulk heterojunction solar cells. I currently use design rules extracted from that work to guide rational molecular design of new materials.