Research

Undergraduate Research with Kuranz Radiative Astrophysics Team

2023 – present

I am currently an undergraduate research assistant with the Kuranz Radiative Astrophysics Team, a research lab headed by Prof. Carolyn Kuranz at the University of Michigan. I currently perform simulations for an upcoming experimental campaign on the Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories, which aims to study collisionless shocks using a Z-pinch wire array and the Z-Beamlet laser. I use these radiation hydrodynamic codes to explore experimental design space. I completed 1-D simulations in HELIOS in Summer 2023. Work throughout my junior year involved analysis of 1-D and 2-D simulations of each setup in FLASH. My current research focuses on comparing the results of a 2019 experiment on OMEGA (Schaeffer et al.) with FLASH simulations of the same setup.

Summer Research Intern with Zetawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort Pulse Laser System (ZEUS) facility

Summer 2023

In Summer 2023, I was an intern at ZEUS as part of Michigan's Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) program. I assisted with experimental design and setup of laser wakefield acceleration experiments at the ZEUS facility which involved analysis of laser spot size and laser wavefront, setup of diagnostic tools such as X-Ray CCD and electron spectroscopy, and physical assembly of the vacuum chamber. During shots on target, I also assisted with sweeps of experimental space to determine ideal experimental parameters and assisted with analysis of results to determine if laser wakefield acceleration had occurred.

Research Assistant for EMBiR Lab

2022 – 2023

I was an undergraduate research assistant with EMBiR Lab, a research lab within the UM Robotics Institute. I facilitated the open-source use of EMBiR Lab’s 3D printed modular quadrupedal robot for robotic and biomechanical research through the creation of CAD animation, 3D printing design files, and assembly/tooling guides. I also repaired and replaced obsolete parts through CAD design and PLA/SLA printing and conducted research on limb morphologies across a wide range of terrestrial species to determine the scope of morphologies that could be modeled by the quadrupedal robot.

Ocean Iron Fertilization Publication

2018 – 2019

I initiated a research project on ocean iron fertilization as a climate engineering method to mitigate climate change. Ocean iron fertilization is the process of introducing iron into the ocean to stimulate phytoplankton growth in order to sequester massive amounts of carbon dioxide. I looked at data from research cruises to determine locations where iron fertilization would yield the greatest carbon uptake. This resulted in co-authoring an academic publication with Kenneth Coale, a researcher from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.