Graduate Research Associate
DuChene Lab, University of Massachusetts Amherst – Amherst, MA 2020 – present
- Operated lab scale electrochemical reactors for the electrochemical reduction of nitrate to form ammonia, yielding 98% Faradaic efficiency
- Investigated product selectivity and electron transfer kinetics effects on copper catalyst faceting, determining that would be the most efficient catalyst to produce ammonia
- Led a 6-member interdisciplinary collaboration to develop an electrochemical mechanism for nitrate reduction to inform computational prediction and catalyst design
- Determined the oxidation potential of methanol, benzyl alcohol, and citrate on Pt and Au electrodes
- Mentored 4 graduate and 11 undergraduate students in nanoparticle synthesis and electrochemistry
Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) Summer 2019
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – Richland, WA
- Improved cathode design of batteries for grid-level storage through investigating natural versus synthetic graphite, communicating results company-wide via a poster session
- Assessed performance via electrochemical reversibility, cell lifetime, and charging rate analysis
