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Summary
Summary
I am a Materials Science PhD Candidate in Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science, pursuing my degree through NASA Jet Propulsion Lab's visiting student research program in the Origins and Habitability Laboratory. My research focuses are:
Weathering of Venus relevant minerals under simulated Venus conditions! (Hot, ~464 °C | High pressure, ~90+ bars | Corrosive, 96.5% CO2, 3.5% N2, 150 ppm SO2, 70 ppm Ar, 20 ppm water, 17 ppm CO, etc...)
Organic geo(electro)chemistry of mineral catalyzed quinone redox simulating proto-metabolic reaction networks.
Development of microfluidic mineral scaffolds for lab-scale simulation of hydrothermal chimneys (i.e. like those on Ocean Worlds or in our own deep sea!)
Beyond these, I collaborate with colleagues at NASA Glenn Research Center, JPL, Caltech, and elsewhere on are variety of surface/interfacial characterization questions!
I received my Honours B.Sc. in Materials and Nanoscience from the University of Waterloo (2019) with a focus on solid-state chemistry and biomaterials. I earned my M.Sc. in Materials Science from Caltech (2023) focused on metallo-polyelectrolytes, thermochemistry, and architected electrodes. Owing to UWaterloo's unique co-op program I have work experience is in a wide range of technical/R&D fields where materials considerations augment engineering solutions. Modeling work in both mechanics (modal analysis, fluid & thermal management, and material failure) and fluid/thermal dynamics offer me insight in solving problems computationally, as well as experimentally in nanofabrication, thermal management, optical materials, and polymer chemistry.
Beyond my research pursuits, I am a lively advocate for civic engagement, a policy and finance enthusiast with corporate governance experience, and a big reader. Find me riding in a neighborhood bike lane or cozy with a good book at a local wine bar/coffee shop.
I am currently pursuing research, writing a few manuscripts, and being civically-engaged in my democracy!
Education
Education
PhD Candidate | Caltech (2023 - Present)
JVSRP | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory | Origins and Habitability Laboratory
Materials Science | Division of Eng.& Applied Science | Rossman & Faber Labs
PhD Candidate | Caltech (2023 - Present)
JVSRP | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory | Origins and Habitability Laboratory
Materials Science | Division of Eng.& Applied Science | Rossman & Faber Labs
Ph.D. Candidate in the Origins and Habitability Laboratory (JVSRP) at NASA JPL, Rossman Mineral Spectroscopy Laboratory, and Faber Group. NASA NSTGRO Fellow collaborating with NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC).
Advisors: Dr. Laura M. Barge (JPL), Dr. Jessica M. Weber (JPL), Prof. George R. Rossman (Caltech GPS), Prof. Katherine T. Faber (Caltech EAS).
Collaborators: Dr. John-Paul Jones (JPL), Dr. Gary Hunter (GRC), Dr. Allison Fox (GRC), Dr. Alison Santos (Wesleyan University/GRC), Dr. Sara Port (UTSA)
Candidacy Committee: Profs. Brent Fultz (Chair), Julia R. Greer, Karthish Manthiram, and Zhen-Gang Wang.
Grants/Fellowships: Nils Asplund FAST Prize, NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO25)
Diploma | NASA Internatinal Summer School in Astrobiology (July 2025)
Origins to Organisms: Understanding Life's Beginnings
XXI International School of Astrobiology "Josep Comas I Solá",
Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP)
Diploma | NASA Internatinal Summer School in Astrobiology (July 2025)
Origins to Organisms: Understanding Life's Beginnings
XXI International School of Astrobiology "Josep Comas I Solá",
Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP)
Intensive graduate/postdoctoral program co‑organized by NASA Astrobiology Program and Centro de Astrobiología (CAB‑INTA‑CSIC). Key components included lectures by international experts on origins of life, early Earth geochemistry, prebiotic environments, and molecular evolution; worked with a team to build a prebiotic metabolism for a hypothetical habitable world; participated in a full‑day field excursion to an astrobiologically relevant sites (Zumaia beach's dramatic flysch formation, a sequence of alternating layers of limestone, sandstone, marl, and clay deposited over millions of years on a deep seabed). Developed cross‑Atlantic collaborations, deepened understanding of astrobiology and prebiotic chemistry.
Masters of Science| California Institute of Technology (Caltech, 2023)
Materials Science | Division of Engineering & Applied Science | Greer Group
Masters of Science| California Institute of Technology (Caltech, 2023)
Materials Science | Division of Engineering & Applied Science | Greer Group
M.Sc. student in the Greer Lab. Research focused on 3D printed metallo-polyelectrolytes (with Seola Lee and Pierre Walker); hydrogel-derived additively manufactured metals and ceramics — metal-polymer binding affinity, thermochemical reactions & solid-state kinetics, and microstructure evolution (with Wenxin Zhang & Thomas Tran); and some additional efforts in the design, fabrication, and processing of architected Gas Diffusion Electrodes (with Yuchun Sun, Max Saccone & the Atwater Group).
Grants/Fellowships: Schwartz/Reisman Collaborative Science Program
Bachelor's of Science | University of Waterloo (2019)
Materials & Nanosciences (Honours Co-operative)
Dean's Honours List
Bachelor's of Science | University of Waterloo (2019)
Materials & Nanosciences (Honours Co-operative)
Dean's Honours List
Waterloo Dean’s Honours List
Jim Kalbfleisch Award (2019)
Distinguished Alumni of Honour Award (2019)
Adele DeLeeuw Plainfield Scholarship (2014-2018)
G. F. Atkinson Citizenship Award (2018)
Bell Labs President’s Award for Research and Presentation (2015)
Work Experience
Work Experience
Materials Engineering
Formlabs (September 2020 - Present)
Materials Engineering Team
Materials Engineering
Formlabs (September 2020 - Present)
Materials Engineering Team
Applying novel chemistries (siloxane, silicone-acrylate, thiol-ene) for 3D printing flexible and elastic resins for potential alternatives to rubbers and silicones.
Exploring miscibility, printability, and mechanical properties of experimental resins.
Characterizing potential next-generation printable materials, and performing formulation print testing to refine process parameters for print reliability.
Corporate Governance / Operations & Finance
University of Waterloo (May 2016 - June 2020)
Various roles, including: VP Operations & Finance, Chair of the Board, Councillor (WUSA); UW Senate & Board of Governors' Committees
Corporate Governance / Operations & Finance
University of Waterloo (May 2016 - June 2020)
Various roles, including: VP Operations & Finance, Chair of the Board, Councillor (WUSA); UW Senate & Board of Governors' Committees
Responsible for administration, budgeting, and controls of approximately $35M in operating and restricted funds, oversaw $2.7M in Endowed Funds, accountable for performance of 10+ businesses, and management of 40+ FT and 300+ PT staff to support operations.
Administered and regulated student health & dental insurance plans, legal aid services, Student Assistance Program (SAP), Student Refugee Program, and the region-wide universal transit pass (UPass) program.
Created a legal aid service by negotiating a $1.83M contract with an external firm to provide legal representation to undergraduates.
Examined premium stability for insurance plans to increase mental health and optical coverage levels with marginal impact on fees.
Worked closely with Campus Wellness to successfully integrate a SAP to provide 24/7/365 counselling support.
Negotiated a $16M contract for a 5-year renewal of the UPass program, with greater fee predictability and improved service levels.
Established $2.3M capital budget, initiated capital planning, and oversaw asset management, including facilities (ie. Student Life Centre and spaces).
Oversaw and managed the $1.5M acquisition of the campus-wide student newspaper which had been struggling with poor financial management, optional fees fluctuations, and declining brand image.
More information: https://wusa.ca/news-updates/leaving-wusa-better-i-found-it
Thermal Management/Chemical Engineering
Bell Laboratories, Alcatel Lucent (May - August 2018)
Thermal Management Division
Thermal Management/Chemical Engineering
Bell Laboratories, Alcatel Lucent (May - August 2018)
Thermal Management Division
Thermal Management Co-op designing, machining, and testing Oscillating Heat Pipe (OHP) technology for commercializable electronics applications.
Work conducted under Bell Labs & CTO Emerging Materials, Components, and Devices (EMCD) research and development division tasked with providing disruptive and sustaining innovations in fields of materials, components, and devices which provide a competitive advantage.
Materials & Optical Engineering
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (April - December 2017)
Group 383A High Contrast Imaging
Materials & Optical Engineering
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (April - December 2017)
Group 383A High Contrast Imaging
Materials and optical engineering year-round-intern in the Exoplanet Exploration Program optimizing and characterizing high-contrast, wide spectrum absorptive/reflective materials for optical instruments (ie. coronagraph masks for Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) mission).
Refined fabrication processes for back-etching of thick Si wafers via deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE), photolithography, and e-beam lithography, of Starshade scale-down optical test-bed masks for New Worlds Mission.
Developed MatLab scripts to stitch high-resolution microscope images of devices to detect micrometer defects in etching that would cause unexpected light scattering.
Used ANSYS to model normal modes of bending for the Starshade to determine optical error budgets of the mission.
Side-project: Participated in minor consulting and stress/vibration testing for dampening materials in the Mars Helicopter (Mars 2020).
Mode8_quadrilateral.aviBiophysics and Nanotechnology
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering & Harvard John A. Paulson SEAS (August - December 2016)
Aizenberg Group
Biophysics and Nanotechnology
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering & Harvard John A. Paulson SEAS (August - December 2016)
Aizenberg Group
Biophysics and nanotechnology engineering Co-op student developing and characterizing next-generation omniphobic slippery lubricated and superhydrophobic surfaces with applications in biofouling and deicing.
Research explored the origins and behaviour of liquids in a variety of physical and chemical environments that give rise to liquid repellency. Focus on steady-state flow, drag forces, and wetting as well as modification of surface chemistry offered insight into the underlying physics of interaction.
Electrical and Materials Engineering
King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (January - April 2016)
Integrated Nanotechnology Laboratory
Electrical and Materials Engineering
King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (January - April 2016)
Integrated Nanotechnology Laboratory
Visiting student researcher developing wireless multi-sensory bio-electronic systems for noninvasive monitoring of marine fauna as part of the flexible Internet of Things (IoT) electronics research pursuit with INL & IDEA Laboratory.
Supported design and development of flexible materials solutions for CMOS technology enabled fabrication and system level integration of flexible bulk silicon (100) based multi-sensors platform. Thin flexible silicon abled integration of FinFETs and sensory systems (pressure, temperature, strain and humidity) which performed under various physical deformations, demonstrating possibility in wearable IoT applications.
Thermal Management/Chemical Engineering
Bell Laboratories, Alcatel Lucent
(June - September, 2015)
Thermal Management Division
Thermal Management/Chemical Engineering
Bell Laboratories, Alcatel Lucent
(June - September, 2015)
Thermal Management Division
R&D intern designing and developing two-phase liquid cooling systems for thermal management of electronics using capillary-driven evaporative cooling for passive heat removal.
Characterized a variety of nanoporous membranes for porosity and thermal performance under forced and passive conditions.
Volunteer MNS Teaching and Lab Assistant
University of Waterloo
(August 2016 - April 2019)
Dept of Physics & Astronomy and Dept of Chemistry
Volunteer MNS Teaching and Lab Assistant
University of Waterloo
(August 2016 - April 2019)
Dept of Physics & Astronomy and Dept of Chemistry
TA coordinating MNS 10 Seminar lecture series with the Department of Physics & Astronomy and Department of Chemistry.
Together with other lab assistants, responsible for developing, preparing, and carrying-out of lab-training events with program faculty members. Designed labs for copper thiol fatty-acid based superhydrophobic materials, ferrofluids, liquid crystals, and others.
Established affiliation between Materials and Nanosciences Society with Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology (WIN).
Patents, Publications, & Conferences
Patents, Publications, & Conferences
Publications
Publications
Velling, S. J. (2026). From early Earth to Enceladus—mineral electrochemistry could drive organic synthesis. Nature Communications, 17(1), 3230. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71131-6
Weber, J. M., Dzurilla, K. A., Velling, S.J., … Barge, L.M. (2026, under review, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). Mineral-mediated Electron Transfer between Iron-Sulfides and Quinones under Prebiotic Geological Conditions.
Priesen-Reis, E. R., Velling, S.J., … Fultz, B. T. (2026, accepted). Systematic investigation of magnetocaloric LaFe11.5-(x+y)CoxNiySi1.5 alloys. Journal of Applied Physics.
Velling, S. J., Jones, J-P., Weber, J. M., …, Barge, L. M. (2026, in preparation). From Rocks to Respiration: Ferrous Sulfide Catalysis of Quinone Redox Likely Generated Protonmotive Force in Proto-metabolism.
Velling, S. J. and Cakar, M., … Weber, J. M., Barge, L. M. (2026, in preparation). Design and Characterization of a Chondritic Enceladus Simulant for Heterogeneous Organic Reactions.
Aguilar, R., … Velling, S.J.* (2026, in preparation). Proserpina Orbilander Mission Concept: Investigating the Habitability & Hydrogeological Evolution of Ceres. Mission Concept Study Report from NASA PSSS Program. Technical Report (approved for Scientific & Information Release, URS340449).
*Corresponding Author & Principal Investigator (PI) for Mission Concept Study.Klein, E., Velling, S. J., Tran, T., Shaker, S., and Greer, J (2026, in preparation). Ni-Catalyzed Graphitization of Carbon.
Dzurilla, K. A. et al., incl. Velling, S. J. (2026, in preparation). Water-Rock Interactions and Phosphorus Speciation at the Enceladus Seafloor: Implications for Habitability.
Riazi-Sekowski, S., Bundang, K., Chastain, J., Carman, N., Velling, S., Aguilera, J., Luna, M., Trejo, C., Alian, O., Teece, B. L., Dzurilla, K. A., Barge, L. M., & Weber, J. M. (2025, in review). Organic Cofactors in the Electron Transport Chain: Properties and Connection to the Prebiotic World. Manuscript submitted for review, ChemSysChem.
Velling , S. J., Weber, J. M., Jones, J-P., Wertheim, A., Alian, O. M., Rossman, G. R., Barge, L. M. (2025). Porous Silica Scaffolds Enable Mechanically Robust Simulated Hydrothermal Chimney Growth, Langmuir, 41, 29, 19111–19126. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.5c00933
Seneca J. Velling, L. E. Rodriguez, P. H. Oyala, & J.-P. Jones. (2025). Application of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for Studies of Prebiotic Metals and Complexes. In Metal Ions and the Route to Life (1st ed., Ch. 6). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003459910-6.
Lee †, S., Walker †, P. J., Velling, S. J., Chen, A., Taylor, Z. W., Fiori, C. J., ... & Greer, J. R. (2024). Molecular control via dynamic bonding enables material responsiveness in additively manufactured metallo-polyelectrolytes. Nature Comm., 15(1), 6850. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-50860-6
Saigal, A., Velling, S. J., Dhawan, A., Azcona Baez, M., Nocum, M., & R. Greer, J. (2023, June). Fabricating Machine Elements Using Hydrogel-Infused Additive Manufacturing (HIAM). In ASME Aerospace Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference (Vol. 87141, p. V001T03A007). American Society of Mechanical Engineers. https://doi.org/10.1115/SSDM2023-107356
Daniel, D., Timonen, J. V., Li, R., Velling, S. J., & Aizenberg, J. (2017). Oleoplaning droplets on lubricated surfaces. Nature Physics, 13(10), 1020-1025. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys4177.
Daniel, D., Timonen, J. V., Li, R., Velling, S. J., Kreder, M. J., Tetreault, A., & Aizenberg, J. (2018). Origins of extreme liquid repellency on structured, flat, and lubricated hydrophobic surfaces. Physical review letters, 120(24), 244503. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.244503.
Nassar, J. M., Khan, S. M., Velling, S. J., Diaz-Gaxiola, A., Shaikh, S. F., Geraldi, N. R., ... & Hussain, M. M. (2018). Compliant lightweight non-invasive standalone “Marine Skin” tagging system. npj Flexible Electronics, 2(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-018-0025-1.
Gumus, A., Alam, A., Hussain, A. M., Mishra, K., Wicaksono, I., Torres Sevilla, G. A., ... Velling, S.J. ... & Hussain, M. M. (2017). Expandable Polymer Enabled Wirelessly Destructible High‐Performance Solid State Electronics. Advanced Materials Technologies, 2(5), 1600264. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.201600264.
Nassar, J. M., Sevilla, G. A. T., Velling, S. J., Cordero, M. D., & Hussain, M. M. (2016, December). A CMOS-compatible large-scale monolithic integration of heterogeneous multi-sensors on flexible silicon for IoT applications. In 2016 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) (pp. 18-6). IEEE. doi: 10.1109/IEDM.2016.7838448.
Balasubramanian, K., Shaklan, S., White, V., Yee, K., Muller, R., Velling, S., ... & Kasdin, N. J. (2018). Recent progress in the fabrication of starshade masks for laboratory demonstration of concepts. In Proc. SPIE (Vol. 10698).
Velling, SJ. Starshade Model Analysis for Optical Error Budget Determination. Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP), NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, Internal Memorandum (CL#20-5518), 15 December 2017.
Patents
Patents
Hussain, M.M., Nassar, J.M., Sherjeel, K., Velling, S.; Compliant, lightweight, non-invasive, standalone tagging system for marine exploration and method. United States patent (pending) US 16620156 (2020 May 7); World Intellectual Property Organization WIPO-PCT/IB2018/054175 (2018 June 8); European Patent Office EP3651572 (2018 June 8).
Conferences
Conferences
Velling, S. J. et al (2026, August). Coupled isoconversional kinetics and Fe-redox speciation to constrain weathering rates under experimentally simulated Venus conditions [Abstract #4532853]. Geochemistry Graduate Award, Oral presentation at ACS Fall 2026, GEOC Division.
Velling, S. J. et al. (2026, August). Defect-rich iron sulfides as heterogeneous catalysts for quinone redox [Abstract #4532451]. Invited, Oral presentation at ACS Fall 2026, GEOC Division.
Co-chair for Missions to Mars: Life Detection and Habitability (online session I and II), 2026 Astrobiology Science Conference.
Velling, S. J., et al. (2026, May). The Rocky Road to Respiration: Nonenzymatic Quinone Reduction by Iron Sulfur Minerals [Abstract #2058348]. Oral presentation in 2026 Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon). AGU.
Velling, S. J., et al. (2025, December). Porous Silica Scaffolds Enable Mechanically Robust Simulated Hydrothermal Chimney Growth. Invited Lecture, Nils Asplund KNI Special Seminar. Kavli Nanoscience Institute, Caltech.
Velling, S. J., et al. (2025, August). Porous silica scaffolds enable mechanically robust simulated hydrothermal chimney growth [Abstract #4349223]. Oral presentation in GEOC: General Geochemistry, ACS Fall 2025. American Chemical Society (ACS).
Velling, S. J., et al. (2025, June) Porous Microfluidic Scaffolds Enhance Hydrothermal Chimney Simulation. Oral presentation in Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon) 2025, CU Boulder.
Velling, S. J., et al. (2025, May) Interrogating Redox-Active Prebiotic Metal-Organic Complexes and Mineral Adsorbates via EPR Spectroscopy. Poster presentation in Southern California Organometallics Meeting 2025.
Velling, S. J., Lee, S., Walker, P.J., Fiori, C., Gallagher, C., Schulz, M., Wang, Z.G., Greer, J.R. (2024, September 24) Multi-Scale Control over Dynamic Bonding and Solvation in Metallo-Polyelectrolytes. Invited speaker, ASM International, Los Angeles Chapter.
Walker, P., Lee, S., Velling, S., Fiori, C., Greer, J. R., & Wang, Z. G. (2024, October). Multi-Scale Understanding of the Tunable Mechanical Behavior Metallo–Polyelectrolyte Complexes. In 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting. AIChE.
Velling, S. J., Weber, J. M., Jones, J-P., Barge, L. M., Rossman, G. R., Faber, K. T. (2024, May). Development of Catalytic Porous Electrode Scaffolds for Mechanically-robust Hydrothermal Chimney Growth. In 2024 AGU - Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon). American Geophysical Union (AGU). https://agu.confex.com/agu/abscicon24/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1499378
Velling, S. J., Weber, J. M., Jones, J-P., Wertheim, A., Barge, L. M., Rossman, G. R. (2024, March). Catalytic Porous Geo-electrodes for Hydrothermal Chimneys. In the KNI20: The Kavli Nanoscience Institute's 20th Anniversary Symposium. Kavli Nanoscience Institute (KNI), Kavli Foundation/Caltech.
Velling, S. J., Zhang, H., Shaker, S., Greer, J. R. (2024, November). On The Development of Bio-Compatible, Chemically Recyclable, 3D-Printable Silicones. In the 2023 MRS Fall Meeting and Exhibit. Materials Research Society (MRS). https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/presentation/2023_mrs_fall_meeting/2023_mrs_fall_meeting-3980753
Velling, S. J., Walker, P. J., Lee, S., Gallagher, C., Schulz, M., Wang, Z-G., Greer, J. R. (2023, November). Multi-Scale Chemical Insights into the Static and Dynamic Behaviour of Metallo-Polyelectrolyte Gels. In the 2023 MRS Fall Meeting and Exhibit. Materials Research Society (MRS). https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/presentation/2023_mrs_fall_meeting/2023_mrs_fall_meeting-3980315
Klein, E., Shaker, S., Velling, S., Greer, J. (2024, November). Synthesis of Carbon electrodes via Catalytic Graphitization. In the 2023 MRS Fall Meeting and Exhibit. Materials Research Society (MRS). https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/presentation/2023_mrs_fall_meeting/2023_mrs_fall_meeting-3980909
Lee, S., Walker, P., Velling, S., Chen, A., Wang, Z-G., Greer, J. (2024, April). Molecular Control via Dynamic Bonding Enables Material Responsiveness in Additively Manufactured Metallo-Polyelectrolytes. In 2024 MRS Spring Meeting. Materials Research Society (MRS). https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/presentation/2024_mrs_spring_meeting/2024_mrs_spring_meeting-4009906
Greer, J. R., Lee, S., Velling, S., Zahng, W., Fiori, C. (2024, April). Intelligensia of Additively Manufactured Hierarchical Materials. In 2024 MRS Spring Meeting. Materials Research Society (MRS). https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/presentation/2024_mrs_spring_meeting/2024_mrs_spring_meeting-4000643
Greer, J.R., Lee, S., Velling, S., Walker, P., Fiori, C., Taylor, Z., Wang, Z-G. (2023, November). Valency-Dependent In 3D-Architected Metallo-Polyelectrolyte Complexes Exhibiting Tunable Mechanical Behavior. In 2024 MRS Fall Meeting and Exhibit. Materials Research Society (MRS).
Velling, S. J., Lee, S., Walker, P. J., Fiori, C., Wang, Z-G., Greer, J. R. (2023, August). Solvated metallo-polyelectrolyte bond lability governs dynamic cross-linking of poly(acrylic acid) metallopolymer complexes (MPECs). ACS Fall 2023. American Chemical Society (ACS).
Greer, J. R., Lee, S., Saccone, M., Moestopo, M., Velling, S. (2023, April). Intelligensia of Additively Manufactured Hierarchical Materials. In 2024 MRS Spring Meeting. Materials Research Society (MRS). https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/presentation/2023_mrs_spring_meeting/2023_mrs_spring_meeting-3852274
Yee, D., Saccone, M., Velling, S., Gallivan, R., Narita, K., Greer, J. R. (2022, November). Hydrogel Infusion Additive Manufacturing of High Entropy Alloys. SF02.11.02, 1304-1305. In 2022 MRS Fall Meeting and Exhibit. Materials Research Society (MRS).
KAUST-NSF, National Science Foundation Interactive Electronics, 2016.
Waterloo Nanotechnology Conference, www.uwaterloo.ca/wnc ,2015, 2017, 2018. Student Engagement Director, WNC — Coordinated and managed relationships with key partners in academia, industry, research, and government to participate in open discussions with students and alumni on topics in nanotechnology. Arranged for prestigious speakers/panelists to participate (eg. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Harvard University’s Wyss Institute). Engaged with external partners and university endowments to sponsor the conference to ensure it was successfully executed.
Other Notable Honours
Other Notable Honours
Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon 2026), Organizing Committee Chair & Director of Administration and Finance. Led writing of the successful $119,600 NASA SMDSS26 award supporting AbGradCon 2026 (NASA Grant No. 80NSSC26K1091; PI: Tyler Robinson, University of Arizona), jointly submitted by the AbGradCon Organizing Committee and UArizona. Lead conference administration and financial planning, including management of an additional $80,000 in private sponsorship, and helped organize the scientific program and invited-speaker participation. AbGradCon 2026 is hosted by the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Arizona Astrobiology Center, September 11–18, 2026. https://www.abgradcon.org.
ACS Geochemistry Division Student Award (ACS Fall 2026). Presented by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Geochemistry Division to a student for research excellence of interest to the geochemistry community and supports their travel and presentation at the ACS national conference. Awarded for Abstract #4532853.
NASA Planetary Science Summer School (PSSS 2026), Mission Principal Investigator. Selected participant in NASA/JPL’s planetary mission formulation program; served as Mission PI for Proserpina, a New Frontiers-class Ceres orbilander mission concept. Led and coordinated the mission concept study team, directed science definition and science/engineering trades, including final decisions on mission architecture and instrumentation. The concept combines orbital and landed geophysics with subsurface sampling at Vinalia Faculae to investigate Ceres’ interior brines, hydrogeological evolution, and organic inventory. Presented the final concept to a NASA expert review board alongside the Systems Engineer, Project Manager, and Cost Manager. Currently serving as corresponding author for conference abstracts and the mission concept study report in preparation for publication.
Electron Backscatter Diffraction of Planetary Materials Workshop (2026 Arizona State University). ENComPSS, Lunar and Planetary Institute, USRA. Participant at the LPI ENComPSS workshop for planetary materials research using EBSD methods; awardee of the research travel grant for participation.
Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) Affiliate, 2026 Cohort. Nominated by the Caltech faculty (Prof. Rossman and Prof. Faber), KISS Affiliates are an ongoing cohort of Campus graduate students and postdocs who are seen as the next generation of space exploration leaders.
NASA Astrobiology Mission Ideation Factory (NMIF) 2025–2026. Participant in the NASA Astrobiology Program’s NMIF workshop, worked with a team to developing new concepts for astrobiology missions (Cryogenic Ocean Network for Enceladus Sampling team, mission target: Enceladus). Received an overall rank of second (2 of 5) among the received mission concepts scored by NASA Mentors. Invited to participate in NMIF Phase 2 in November 2026.
ACS Geochemistry Division Student Award (ACS Fall 2025). Presented by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Geochemistry Division to a student for research excellence of interest to the geochemistry community and supports their travel and presentation at the ACS national conference. Awarded for Abstract #4349223.
NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities Fellowship (NSTGRO25) (2025). Selected awardee under project 24-NSTGRO25-0303, “Constraining Weathering Kinetics under Experimentally Simulated Venus Conditions” grant No. 80NSSC2XK0262. Nationally competitive fellowship granted by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate to support doctoral research in early-stage, high-risk/high-payoff space technologies. Includes funding for stipend, tuition, research expenses, and a NASA Center-based Visiting Technologist Experience. • AbGradCon 2025 Proposal Writing Retreat (PWR). Selected participant, competitive program held in conjunction with the Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon) and supported by the NASA Astrobiology Program. Focused on developing skills in astrobiology research proposal writing, peer review, and science communication. • Josep Comas i Solà XXI International Summer School in Astrobiology (2025). Selected participant, international program hosted by NASA Astrobiology Program, European Space Agency (ESA), and Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA), focused on prebiotic geochemistry and the planetary context for life’s origins and evolution.
Nils Asplund FAST Prize (awarded for 2024-2025; no cost extension for 2026). Awarded for the "Additive Manufacturing, Thin-Film Characterization, and Microscopy of Hydrothermal Chimneys".
Schwartz Reisman Collaborative Science Program Grant (2023). Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) on awarded project “Dynamic Molecular Bond-enabled Electromechanical Actuation in Metallo-Polyelectrolyte Complexes” (Award Ref. No. 142809), jointly funded by the Weizmann Institute of Science and the California Institute of Technology under the Weizmann–Caltech Collaborative Program. Research led by Prof. Julia R. Greer (PI, Caltech) and Prof. Igor Lubomirsky (Co-PI, Weizmann Institute); research conducted with Dr. Seola Lee (GRA).
Waterloo Dean’s Honours List (graduated with Honours)
Jim Kalbfeisch Award (2019)
Distinguished Alumni of Honour Award (2019)
Adele DeLeeuw Plainfeld Scholarship (2014-2018)
G. F. Atkinson Citizenship Award (2018)
Best of Innovation Award, CES 2020. Innovation Award Product: Bluefin, MMH Labs. CES | Consumer Technology Association. https://www.ces.tech/Innovation-Awards/Honorees/2020/Best-Of/B/Bluefin.aspx
Gold Award, Edison Awards 2020. Personal technology Award: Bluefin, MMH Labs. https://edisonawards.com/winners2020.php
Bell Laboratories President's Award for Research and Presentation. Awarded for research and presentation excellence, presented by CTO and President, Dr. Marcus Weldon (2015).
2nd Place Prize in Physics and Astronomy (2013). Intel® International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), Society for Science & the the Public. Phoenix, AZ.
Semi-finalist in Physics/Chemical Engineering (2014). Siemens Competition, Siemens Science Foundation.
Technical Skills:
Technical Skills:
Statistics and research methods
Wet chemistry & sputtering
Nanofabrication (lithography (including soft and e-beam), L-Edit mask design, Ion Beam, MBE, CVD/HDPCVD, plasma etching, etc)
Chemical/Wet Etching (Si/SiN/SiO)
Semiconductor fabrication and processing (DREI/REI, XeF2 Etching, etc)
Optical & fluorescence microscopy (including DLS)
Particle size distribution and specific surface area (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method)
Electron Microscopy (SEM)/Energy Dispersive XR Spectroscopy (EDX)
X-ray characterization (XRD, XRF, SAXS/WAXS)
Atomic force microscope (AFM)
Nuclearmagnetic resonance spectroscopy (NRM), Electron Paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR), Mössbauer spectroscopy
Thin film characterization and metrology (goniometry, contact/laser/optical profilometry, and ellipsometer)
CrankShaftBikeStressing_100lbf_staticmode.mp4Programming & Design
Programming & Design
Excel
MatLab
Labview
CAD (Autodesk)
Layout Editor
COMSOL
FEA & CFD (ANSYS Mechanical & Fluent)
MS Dynamics NAV/BC
ChemDraw
C/C++
MS Office
Volunteer Work
Volunteer Work
Treasurer (2022-2024) & Director (2022-2025) | Graduate Student Council, California Institute of Technology
Treasurer (2022-2024) & Director (2022-2025) | Graduate Student Council, California Institute of Technology
Managed a $250k budget of student fees, ticket sales, and other income; managed the Budget & Finance Committee; oversaw organizational audits and tax filing; managed student club appropriations process.
Served as graduate representative on the Moore-Hufstedler Fund committee (2022-2025).
Served as member of the Caltech Institute Health Committee as graduate member (2023-2025 term).
EMS First Responder (2012-2018) | Long Hill Township First Aid Squad/EMS (NJ Office of Emergency Management)
EMS First Responder (2012-2018) | Long Hill Township First Aid Squad/EMS (NJ Office of Emergency Management)
Emergency First Responder/EMS for local Rescue Squad, trained in blood, shock, and trauma as well as biohazards / infectious disease treatment.
Various roles (2014-2020) | Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) & University of Waterloo
Various roles (2014-2020) | Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) & University of Waterloo
Served as Chair of the Board of Directors (WUSA) and Deputy Speaker of the Students' Council, after being (re-)elected twice by undergraduate students to one of 25 competitively elected seats.
Held the role of Chair/Vice Chair (*) or Ranking Member of following committees during three years of volunteer work while a student at Waterloo: Audit & Risk Management Committee*, Budget & Appropriations Committee*, Undergraduate Non-Tuition Fee Review Panel*, Policies & Procedures Committee*, Government Affairs & Academic Advisory Committee, President's Advisory Committee.
Member of the following committees: Co-op Students' Council, Board of Governors' Student Services Advisory Committee, Senate/Board of Governors' Undergraduate Student Relations Committee.
Student Representative for the Materials & Nanosciences (MNS) Program (Department of Physics & Astronomy and Department of Chemistry).
Treasurer of the German & Slavic Society (Department of Germanic & Slavic Studies).
Currently serving as a consultant and alumni committee member for WUSA.
Note: images and figures were created or collected by the author, and are used with permission. Rendering of New Worlds Mission courtesy of NASA JPL/Caltech. All information, technical and scientific figures, and images used with permission.
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