Background

I also did work at Energetics Incorporated in Columbia, MD as an Energy Efficiency Consultant in Technology Innovation & Management. During my time at Energetics between July 2016 and August 2018, I have been involved in many projects serving federal and state clients, including the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and Energy Information Administration (EIA). These projects have included studying the energy consumption and savings opportunities in U.S. manufacturing industries (e.g. lightweight materials, cement, food and beverage) and desalination, as well as determining energy saving technology priorities for state energy offices like the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the Colorado Energy Office (CEO).

I held two positions at Penn State University during my time there from August 2010 to December 2015. The most recent position was a Research & Development Engineer for Energy Systems. This work involved conducting research on modeling turbulence intensity incorporation into the power curve for a small wind turbine, which was also presented at the 2015 NAWEA Conference in Virginia Tech. Prior to that, I worked as an Energy System Modeling & Design Engineer. During this time, I was involved in three different projects for three different types of energy systems. First, I designed and tested a prototype small-scale wind turbine coupled with a battery at the foundation for remote installation, as well as developed a business plan for the implementation and commercialization procedures. The second project I was on involved bioenergy, where I developed a compartmentalized anaerobic digestor for a local farmer and business owner in State College, PA. The final project I worked on was for combustion and gasification of solid fuels. This work entailed research on modeling the flow, heat transfer and mass transfer of an entrained flow reactor with combined inlet feed of bituminous coal and biomass.

Prior to that time, I worked as a Geothermal Specialist at Carney PHC, as well as two internships in telecommunications design engineering at M.C. Dean, Inc.

I received my Master's degree in Energy Engineering at Penn State in December 2015. In addition to obtaining an M.S. degree, I've also earned a graduate certificate in wind energy through the Renewable Energy & Sustainability Systems (RESS) Program at Penn State. I earned my B.S. in Energy Engineering at Penn State University in May 2014.

During my tenure as a working professional, I have developed a passion for research in various renewable energy fields, as well as applied mathematical skills, statistical methods, and artificial intelligence to real-world problems in energy applications.

Teaching Experience

At Texas Tech, I have worked as a graduate part-time instructor (GPTI) for the following undergraduate classes in Mechanical Engineering:

1. Finite Element Analysis (Fall 2019)

2. Materials & Mechanics Laboratory (Fall 2019, Fall 2022, Spring 2023)

I've also worked as a Teaching Assistant (TA) for the following graduate and undergraduate classes in Mechanical Engineering:

1. Dynamic Systems & Vibrations (Fall 2018, and Spring 2019)

2. Computational Fluid Dynamics (Summer 2019)

3. Finite Element Analysis (Summer 2019)

4. Introduction to Design (Summer 2019)

5. Thermal-Fluid Systems Laboratory (Spring 2020)

6. Fluid Mechanics (Fall 2020 - Spring 2022)

7. Probabilistic Design (Spring 2021)

8. Mechanics of Solids (Summer 2021)

Additionally, I've worked as a TA for the following classes in Energy Engineering as both an undergraduate and graduate student at Penn State:

1. Fluid Mechanics

   • Undergraduate TA (Fall 2013)

   • Graduate TA (Fall 2014)

2. Wind & Hydroelectric Power Conversion, Undergraduate TA (Spring 2014)

3. Solar Energy Conversion, Graduate TA (Spring 2015)

4. Senior Capstone Project, Graduate TA (Spring 2015)

5. Energy & the Environment, Graduate TA (Summer 2015)

Due to the positive reception from former students, I received the 2015 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award in April 2015.

Research Interests

My research interests are in the following areas:

• Artificial intelligence

• Machine learning

• Deep learning

• Renewable energy (specializing in wind energy, on-land and off-shore applications)

• Applied and computational fluid mechanics

• Uncertainty quantification and propagation

• Turbulence