SKILLS
Experiment design and execution, Method development, Polymer synthesis, Polymer characterization, Lab and process equipment, Process design, Mathematical/computational modeling, Data analysis, C++ programming, Matlab, Aspen HYSYS, Microsoft Office, Technical report and presentation
EDUCATION
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
Master of Science, Chemical Engineering, 06/2012
Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering, 12/2006
EXPERIENCE
Invista, Chattanooga, TN
Polymer Development Lab Associate, 05/2012 – 07/2014
* Ran polymerizations in 17-Liter autoclave batch reactor for polyamide polymer development and supported manufacturing with process scale-up for production trials
* Characterized polyamide polymers using mechanical property testing (tensile, flex, and impact), thermal analysis (DSC), rheology, and viscometry for new product development
* Developed standard operating procedures for R&D lab equipment and processes and trained personnel
* Commended in annual performance reviews for excellent work ethic, integrity, and working extended hours to meet tight deadlines. Awarded Operations Excellence Award.
California Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Pasadena, CA
Graduate Research Assistant, 07/2007 – 11/2010
* Designed and executed polymer synthesis and purification experiments and developed and validated new methods to improve the thermal stability of ruthenium-catalyzed metathesis-based polyolefin polymers, resulting in significant improvements in the thermal stability when conventional methods had failed
* Developed and applied new X-ray scattering data analysis methods to study the effect of molecular characteristics and processing conditions on structure development during flow-induced polymer crystallization, resulting in the detection of oriented structures at early times and at low crystallinity when not detected using conventional methods
* Designed and executed polymer crystallization experiments using thermal analysis (DSC) and synchrotron X-ray scattering (SAXS and WAXS) for understanding structure-property relationships
* Synthesized polyolefin polymers by ring-opening metathesis polymerization
* Mentored a student for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program
Iowa State University, Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies, Ames, IA
Research Assistant, 01/2007 – 06/2007
* Designed a bench scale high pressure fixed bed reactor system for a Fischer-Tropsch-type ethanol synthesis process, modeled the reactor and heat transfer system and used Excel to solve the heat and mass balances and optimize design, created process flow diagram, sized equipment and ordered equipment from vendors, and developed operating procedures
Iowa State University, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Ames, IA
Undergraduate Research Assistant, 05/2006 – 08/2006
* Developed and v...
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