Overview

My education started in my hometown of Cedar Falls, Iowa, followed by a Bachelor's in Science and Engineering (BSE) at the University of Michigan with a major in mechanical engineering, minors in math and sustainable engineering. I have since completed my Master's and PhD at Stanford University in mechanical engineering with a focus on high temperature gas dynamics, thermodynamics, and energy systems.

My research pushes the boundaries of high-temperature experimental studies of thermal, chemical, ionization, and radiative nonequilibrium with applications to atmospheric entry, propulsion, and next-generation energy systems. Advanced, quantum-state-specific models provide a valuable tool for investigating high-temperature nonequilibrium, but many of these models severely lack validation data to compare against. Thus, my research has centered collaboration between researchers developing computational models and executing sensitive, low-uncertainty experiments to bridge this gap. You can read more about these activities in the Research tab.

I use teaching both in the classroom and in my laboratory work to help my students and peers to develop new research skills and to communicate technical information effectively. In particular, I apply research-based methods in my teaching to ensure classroom skills can translate into the necessary career skills for engineers and scientists. In particular, I want to help my students and peers to expand from simple learning skills like remembering ideas to more advance skills like creating and applying technical content. My goal for any teaching opportunity is that the students will leave knowing the right questions to ask and possessing some of the right tools to find solutions. You can read more about these activities in the Teaching tab.

As an engineer and educator, I strive to ground my work in pursuits that enable people to make improvements in their lives. My work mentoring younger PhD students at Stanford has provided guidance based on my experiences; my work tutoring English for non-native speakers allowed me to empathize with a broader range of backgrounds; and my work as an admissions interviewer allowed me to discuss the goals of incoming undergraduate students. You can read more about these activities in the Other tab.

I hope to use my research and teaching skills to help prepare productive and professional engineers. This goal is informed by my prior experiences in professional roles, including 1) a reliability engineering intern working to ensure the safety of high-purity silicon manufacturing for computer chips and solar energy and 2) a network technician for a local internet service provider and IT company. These roles have helped to tie my engineering education to real-world applications and allowed me to practice technical troubleshooting. See some highlights from these roles below.