Most of my childhood was spent in North Carolina, first in Raleigh and later about thirty minutes southwest in a town called Apex. I graduated in 2020 from Williams College with a B.A in both Chemistry and Economics.  Professor Chris Goh at Williams introduced me to the world of polymers as I did undergraduate research with him in RAFT polymerization. Later in my undergraduate career, working with PSE alumna Professor Sarah Goh at Williams, I studied amine substitution on polymers derived from lignin, and during a summer spent at Duke in Professor Stephen Craig's lab, I was introduced to stimuli-responsive polymers and their applications.  That summer grew my passion for polymer research, with my mentor Dr. Tetsu Ouchi, PSE Class of 2013, playing a large role in my decision to attend PSE. The emphasis on community in PSE as well as the training of graduate students to approach polymers broadly from the perspectives of chemistry, physics, and engineering was an aspect that no other programs offered and one that appealed to me greatly.

I was fortunate to receive the PSE Santos Go award for 2021 and equally fortunate to become a member of the Carter Lab, where I study cellulose nanocrystals. My current efforts focus on creating a cellulose-based gel that can safely degrade toxic organophosphate compounds into less harmful substances. Although cellulose is a well-studied material, I believe it has much untapped potential. Outside research, I was a member of the First-Year Mentoring Committee, and I currently serve on the Workplace Climate Committee, which facilitates communication between the Conte community and the PSE administration so that problems within Conte can be meaningfully solved.

Following my time at PSE, I intend to work in industry and would like to develop next-generation materials that not only work better but are healthier for the environment.