Graduate student researcher
MIT Mechanical Engineering
ABOUT ME
I approach my work by asking: how can scientific resources be used to answer questions with interdisciplinary impact? Some days, I wear the hat of an experimentalist studying the mechanics of human tissue in the Cohen Lab for Nonlinear Solid Mechanics. Other days, I approach this through the lens of science policy, discussing how scientists and engineers can be involved in government policy making from the local to federal levels. All the while, I work in my local community as a communication fellow and department liaison providing peer coaching in technical communication from the department qualifying exam, to journal manuscripts.
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Improving human health and welfare, and enabling the teams around me, are common themes amongst many of the projects I have worked on.
My motivation
The biggest obstacles to solving a problem often aren’t technical, but are still strategic puzzles. Answers might come from better identifying a root cause or upstream solution, finding a team that lets every individual best use their skills, or rewriting a policy.
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Having worked at Draper, I know the value of rigorous technical solutions in the pursuit of solving mission-driven engineering challenges. However, I've also seen how critical the programmatic structure, infrastructure, and leadership that supports engineers is to realizing success in projects.
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Throughout my PhD I have worked to create positive and productive communities whenever I can. I have supported my peers in the difficult stretches of grad school as a communication coach and peer mentor. I have enabled friends and colleagues to develop their interests through organizing science policy trips to Washington DC for the Science Policy Initiative and to the Collegiate National Championships for the MIT club cycling team.
The technical depth I gain from my PhD, alongside a desire to 'make the system work' for those working in it, lets me be more creative when prioritizing the scarce resources of time, money, and people's emotional bandwidth. I look forward to working at this intersection of research and strategy after my PhD.
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My Work
Most recently my work has been primarily in experimental solid mechanics. I also have a background in design (for under resourced settings) and aerospace microelectronics and nanosatellites. For a list of my publications and patents, see Google Scholar.
