Education

2013 Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of California Santa Barbara

2008 B.A. in Chemistry & Physics, University of South Dakota


Professional Experience

2022 – Present Co-director of NC PURE

2022 – Present Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2016 – 2022 Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2013 – 2016 NSF Postdoctoral Fellow with Professor Timothy F. Jamison, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2008 – 2013 Graduate student researcher with Professor Craig J. Hawker, University of California Santa Barbara

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Honors & Awards

University of South Dakota Spring Commencement Speaker (2022)

Journal of Polymer Science Innovation Award (2022)

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Winter Commencement Speaker (2021)

Popular Science Brilliant 10 (2021)

ACS POLY Division Fellow (2021)

UNC Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2021)

Camille Dreyfus Teach–Scholar Award (2020)

Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (2020)

Cottrell Scholar (2020)

Herman F. Mark Young Scholar Award, ACS POLY Division (2020)

Selected as one of the Chemical & Engineering News Talented 12 (2019)

Beckman Young Investigator (2019)

NSF CAREER Award (2019)

Army Research Office Young Investigator Program (2019)

PMSE Young Investigator Award (2019)

Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program (2018)

3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award (2017)

Emerging Leader Award; University of South Dakota Alumni Association (2017)

TEDx speaker at University of South Dakota TEDx event (2015)

NSF Science, Engineering & Education for Sustainability (SEES) Fellowship (2013-2016)

NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship (deferred) (2013-2016)

DSM/ACS Graduate Polymer Technology Award (2012)

NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2008-2013)

DoD National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship (2008-2013)

UCSB Chancellors Graduate Fellowship (2008-2013)

MRL Outstanding Service to Education Programs Award (2012)

Gordon Conference (Polymers) "Frontiers of Graduate Polymer Science" Lecture (2011)

Undergraduate Thesis with high distinction (2008)

Pardee Prize (top senior chemistry major at USD) (2007)

USA Today College Academic All-Star Team (20 nationally) (2007)

ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American Football Team (first team, twice selected) (2006 & 2007)

Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship (2006)

American Chemical Society Organic Chemistry Achievement Award (2005)

Eagle Scout (2003)