Graduate Student Researcher
Background
I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada but mostly grew up on the Mississippi gulf coast. I attended Purdue University in 2017, where I received my B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with a minor in Statistics. In my undergraduate studies, I worked with utilizing data science in engineering and materials science applications and focused on nickel-based superalloys for aerospace applications. After graduating, I worked at the Howmet Aerospace Research Center in Whitehall, Michigan as an Electron Optics Analyst for two years before deciding to pursue a Ph.D. here at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Research
I am a graduate student researcher in both the Oropeza and Pollock groups, and my research areas are focused on ultra-high temperature ceramics and the Tri Beam instrument, respectively. The goal of my research project is to ultimately design and fabricate a machine for multi-material binder jetting for utilization of ultra-high temperature ceramics with complex geometries. For this purpose, I will be performing powder characterization (SEM, image analysis, LECO), sample preparation via spark plasma sintering, densification and diffusion characterization (gas pycnometry, SEM-EDS), powder deposition characterization, and possible FEM modeling for complex geometry deformation.
Education
- 2017-2021 - B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, Purdue University