Experience

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  University of connecticut

  Jan 2013 - May 2014

  Dr. william mustain electrochemical group | undergraduate researcher

  -Develop lab skills necessary to work in an electrochemistry laboratory and assist in developing research in the area of hydrogen fuel cells, specifically the oxygen reduction reaction-Synthesize ordered mesoporous carbon template for platinum electrocatalyst and perform characterization tests-Design and implement experimental procedure for extensive cleaning of electrochemical glassware

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  National renewable energy laboratory

  Jun 2013 - Aug 2013

  Laboratory intern

  -Performed research at the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Department under Dr. Huyen Dinh and Dr. Kenneth Neyerlin-Tested over 200 glassy carbon electrodes in oxygen reduction reaction half-cells and focused on improving the observed electrochemical properties of unsupported platinum electrocatalysts via electrode modification-Created poster and participated in poster competition

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  Utc aerospace systems

  May 2014 - Jul 2014

  Materials engineering intern

  -Performed a gap analysis on the processes used to assess materials of concern.-Assisted in first article inspection for plastic materials to be used in air cycle machines.

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  Fraunhofer ikts

  Mar 2015 - Jul 2015

  Research intern

  -Prepared think-film silver pastes for solar cell applications.-Operated capillary and rotational rheometers to obtain viscosity data from thick film pastes-Assisted in designing new relaxation time experiments using aforementioned rheometers.-Performed over 150 experiments and analyzed viscosity data to compare effect of silver particle size, polymer chain length, and functional phase volume percent on viscosity and relaxation time.-Completed all work in German, including a final presentation and a 15-page report Show less

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  Bulkeley high school

  Aug 2016 - Aug 2018

  Secondary chemistry teacher

  -Lead approximately 150 high school students toward at least 80% growth or objective mastery completion in Chemistry, according to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).-Collaborated with staff and faculty to create a student-centered learning classroom by creating lesson plans, coordinating school activities and field trips, and increase student and family access to community resources-Attend and lead at Teach for America and other professional development opportunities in restorative practices, Next Generation Science Standards, and student-centered learning.-Participate as a Development Ambassador for Teach For America by corresponding with TFA donors and attending the annual TFA Benefit Dinner.-Achieved 70% growth in chemistry with summer school students as part of Philadelphia Institute with Teach For America professional training.-Achieved 80% overall mastery growth in chemistry students at Bulkeley High School during the 2016 - 2017 school year. Show less

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  University of pennsylvania

  Aug 2018 - now

  Ph.d. candidate

  Dr. Aleksandra Vojvodic Laboratory (AV Lab)-Develop machine learning models by optimizing large material datasets (>15,000 samples) to find descriptors that predict adsorption energy for various intermediates (O, H, S, C, N) on catalyst surfaces, namely unary and binary metals, MXenes, and metal oxide materials.-Analyze descriptors generated from machine learning models to develop chemical and scientific understanding about how various feature types contribute (or do not contribute) to intermediate adsorption energies.-Perform atomic situations on iridium oxide hybrid catalysts for water oxidation using Density Functional Theory (DFT) to determine details on electronic structure and charge distribution on supported catalysts.-Collaborate with experimentalists in Dr. Karen Goldberg and Dr. Ray Gorte's labs to develop and study iridium based pincer catalysts for hydrocarbon reactions, specifically alkane dehydrogenation. Show less