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I am a condensed-matter physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. I first became fascinated with Physics in high school. I read Kip Thorne's "Black Holes and Time Warps," and I was hooked on the concept of exploring nature and figuring out how the universe works; astrophysics/cosmology were my introduction to the broad field of Physics (this is surely because the books written by folks like Drs. Thorne and Greene are so engaging). Once I started studying Physics, I "discovered" that condensed-matter physics was as rich with weird ideas and objects as astrophysics/cosmology, but these things were much closer to home. I could touch a sample, measure its properties in the laboratory, and then perturb that and do it all over again to see what changed. This was flat-out cool, and it seemed like I could find much less enjoyable pursuits - so a condensed-matter physicist I became.
As my career has progressed, I have found that interesting problems that need an inquisitive (perhaps ignorant?) mind are everywhere. Since my Ph.D. studies, I have had the excellent fortune afforded to me to engage seriously in many new fields: weapons physics, actinide chemistry, high-pressure physics, synchrotron characterization, materials and single-crystal synthesis, additive manufacturing, nuclear cross-sections, target fabrication, counterterrorism, weapons fabrication and production, etc. As I write this in my middle-career (and middle age), I can honestly say that my education as a Physicist has been the second-best decision that I've ever made (number one is my wife, some marry up, but somehow I skipped a couple of rungs on the ladder and married way up).
Education
Education
Ph.D. Physics - University of California, San Diego (2007)
B.S. Physics - Clemson University (2000)
Appointments
Appointments
Senior Scientist - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2022 - Present)
Physics Certification Lead - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2018 - Present)
Additive Manufacturing Development Project Lead - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2018 - Present)
High-Pressure Physics Group Leader, Physics Division - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2017 - 2022)
Plutonium Aging Thrust Lead - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2017 - 2019)
Physicist - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2009 - 2022)
Post-doctoral Scientist - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2007-2009)
Graduate Research Assistant - University of California, San Diego (2000-2007)
Graduate Teaching Assistant - University of California, San Diego (2000-2004)
Honors/Awards
Honors/Awards
LLNL Global Security Gold Award, 2023
LLNL PLS Directorate Awards, 2023
LLNL WCI Bronze Awards, 2021
LLNL PLS Directorate Award, 2021
NNSA Defense Programs Award of Excellence, 2019
LLNL WCI Bronze Award, 2019
LLNL Outstanding Mentor Award, 2018
NNSA Defense Programs Award of Excellence, 2017
LLNL Design Physics Division Silver Award, 2017
NNSA/LLNL Defense Programs Award of Excellence, 2015
LLNL Director's S&T Award, 2015
NNSA/LLNL Defense Programs Award of Excellence, 2014
LLNL PLS Directorate Award for External Leadership, 2014
Outstanding Referee, American Physical Society, 2014
Highlights 2012 Article, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 2013
Top Cited Article, Physica C: Superconductivity and its Applications, 2010
I2CAM Junior Travel Grant, 2008
I2CAM Junior Travel Grant, 2005
Sigma Pi Sigma Senior Award, Clemson University, 2000
L. D. Huff Junior Award, Clemson University, 1999
South Carolina EPSCOR/NSF Summer Fellow, Clemson University, 1999
L. D. Huff Sophomore Award, Clemson University, 1998
Professional Societies
Professional Societies
American Physical Society
Materials Research Society
The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society
Professional Activities
Professional Activities
Referee: Phys. Rev. B, Phys. Rev. Lett., Phys. Rev. X, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter, Physica C, J. Nucl. Mater., Thermochimica Acta
Beamtime Proposal Reviewer: Stanford Synchrotron Light Source, Advanced Photon Source, Advanced Light Source
Lead Organizer: Plutonium Futures-The Science 2024
APS March Meeting: Sorter 2013, Session Chair 2010-2015
You can download a complete Academic CV as a PDF.
For what they are worth, I have Research Gate and a LinkedIn profiles.
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