Education:

• Ph.D. (Physics), Cornell University, 2006             
• M.S. (Physics), University of Mississipp, 2001
• B.S. (Physics), University of Mississippi, 1999  

Research and Professional Experience:

• 2007 – present, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN
  Wigner Fellow / R&D Associate: Correlated Electron Materials Group. Group Leader: David Mandrus
• Synthesizing technologically interesting materials (in particularly thermoelectric materials and Fe-based superconductors) and characterizing their structural, magnetic, thermal, and transport properties.
• Specific emphasis on discovery and characterization of new materials.
• 2006 – 2007, Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
  Postdoctoral Research Associate: Advisor: Prof. Robert J. Cava
  • Synthesized and characterized solid state transition metal chlorides, oxides, and intermetallics using traditional high temperature techniques and solution chemistry, often employing air-free methods.
• 2002 – 2006, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
  Graduate Research Assistant: Advisor: Prof. Francis J. DiSalvo
  Thesis title: “Exploring Thallium Compounds, Chevrel Phases, and Other Chalcogenides as Thermoelectric Materials”.
• Synthesized new, solid-state, inorganic compounds.
• Characterized materials using powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, microprobe/SEM, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility and transport measurements (electrical resistivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal conductivity), and extended Hückel tight-binding band structure calculations.
• Designed, constructed, and implemented computer controlled probes for transport properties measurements.
• Collaborated on projects with NASA/JPL and Diamond Innovations Inc.
• 2000 – 2001, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
  Graduate Research Assistant: Advisor: Prof. Veerle M. Keppens
  Thesis title: “Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy Studies of Clathrate Thermoelectrics”.
• Designed and implemented a RUS probe for use in a commercial cryostat.
• Performed crystallographic alignment, cutting, and polishing of single crystal samples for RUS measurements.
• Measured and modeled elastic constants of single crystal and polycrystalline materials between 4 K and 300 K.

Awards and Memberships:

• Wigner Fellow, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2006-Present
• Cornell University Fellow, Cornell University, 2001-2002
• Graduate Achievement Award, University of Mississippi, 2001
• Taylor Medal, University of Mississippi, 1999
• Member American Physical Society, Materials Research Society,
  American Crystallographic Association

Publications: