Research Interests:

• Mechanical and physical property changes of irradiated metallic, ceramic and polymeric materials.
• Microstructural changes and in-service behavior of Zr-base alloys for nuclear applications.
• Long-term thermal stability of superalloy and refractory metal alloys.
• Synthesis and incorporation of nanoscale particles in advanced functional materials.

Education:

• Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering, Univ. of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1999.
• M.S. Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, Illinois, 1995.
• B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Illinois Inst. of Technology, Chicago, Illinois, 1993.

Experience:

2004 to present - Research Staff Member, ORNL, Nuclear Materials Science and Technology Group:

• Microstructure and defect development in irradiated Zircaloy and Zr-Nb alloys.
• Radiation effects on the physical, optical and electrical properties of ceramic insulators, micro-machined devices, and dielectric mirrors in nuclear environments.
• Mechanical properties and microstructural stability of Ni-base superalloys and refractory metal alloys for nuclear and high temperature environments.
• Structural and mechanical property changes in polymeric materials from high energy radiation.
• Synthesis and characterization of solution base nanoparticles and their use in white-light LED’s.

2000 to 2004 - Postdoctoral Research Associate, ORNL, Superconducting Materials Group:

• Nanoparticle doping of superconducting films for enhanced flux pinning.
• Production and characterization of nanoparticles created through reverse micelle synthesis.
• Deposition and processing of long length epitaxial ceramic and superconducting films through physical vapor deposition techniques.
• Structure property characterization of multilayer films; examination of mechanisms contributing to the decrease in YBa2Cu3O7-x film properties with thickness.

1996 to 2000 - Graduate Research Assistant, University of Cincinnati:

• Phase equilibrium and transformations in the Ti-Al-Nb system.
• Cyclic oxidation of Mo-Si-B alloys.
• Failure analysis of type 312 stainless steel welds and forged Ti-Al-V turbine blade materials.

1993 to 1995 - Graduate Research Assistant, Illinois Institute of Technology:

• Elevated temperature mechanical properties and deformation mechanisms of oxide dispersion
  strengthened Nb-Al and Ni-Al alloys produced through mechanical alloying.
• Effect of processing and consolidation conditions on mechanical properties of mechanically alloyed materials.

1990 to 1993 - Internship and Undergraduate Research Assistant, Illinois Institute of Technology:

• Measurement of acoustic noise levels of variable jet nozzle configurations.
• Prediction and analysis of turbulent boundary layer flows.
• Construction of laminar flow section of National Diagnostic Facilities wind tunnel.

Professional Associations:

• The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society
• American Nuclear Society

Honors:

• 2006 Nanotech Briefs Nano50 Award, for “HTS Wires Enabled via 3D Self-Assembly of Insulating Nanodots”.

Selected Publications: