1988-present DePauw University
• Investigating properties of reverse micelles, with focus on the behavior of water in confinement and transport across the interface, via time resolved and steady state optical and magnetic spectroscopies.
• Investigating the energy acquisition processes involved when small molecules are irradiated with intense IR radiation using classical, semiclassical, and quantum mechanical theoretical analyses.
• Developed a library of biotin and streptavidin attached gold nanoparticles as test cases for a photothermal heterodyne biosensor research at Colorado State University.
• Investigated long-term impact of acid-mine drainage at Green Valley Mine near Terre Haute, Indiana (Joint project with J. Pope, Associate Professor of Geosciences).
• Investigated and modeled the chaotic behavior of a non-linear electronic circuit. (Joint project with N. Abraham, former Professor of Physics and VPAA).
• Investigated the kinetics and thermodynamics of the Mitsunobu esterification reaction.
• Preliminary modeling of picosecond time-resolved dynamics of solvated metal cation electron transfer via photodissociation.
2004-present Colorado State University
• Focusing on 2D-IR, transient absorption, NMR and modeling of interactions in RM systems during my sabbatical AY16-17.
• Developed expertise in ultrafast laser spectroscopy focusing on time resolved fluorescence upconversion and transient absorption applied to reverse micelle systems during my sabbatical in AY04-05 and AY09-10.
• Investigating the impact of the co-surfactant on cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/alkanol/water/hydrocarbon reverse micelle systems.
• Designated staff scientist on a 5-year $2.8 Million NSF Collaborative Research in Chemistry Award, “CRC: Motion of biologically relevant molecules in restricted environments.” (Award number 0628260)
• Evaluated the new time resolved transient absorption spectroscopy experiment recently added to the Levinger group for CTAB systems.
• Developed a reverse micelle proof of concept experiment for the new mid-IR femtosecond pulsed fiber laser developed in the Bartels’ group.
• Investigated diatomic molecule dynamics when coupled to a picosecond IR pulse train during a Summer Associated Western Universities Post-doctoral Appointment in the Theoretical Chemistry Research Group.
1984-1988 University of Utah
• Theoretical studies of semiclassical and quantum methods for modeling small molecules coupled to continuous-wave and pulsed laser fields. Developed semiclassical methods that accurately predict quantum vibrational excitation of small molecules.
1983-1984 University of Puget Sound
• Created a universal calibration curve using polystyrene (PS) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) homopolymers to allow molecular weight determination of PS/PMMA copolymers.