Projects & Experience
A track record of delivery.
Agile project management and scientific rigor, applied across research computing, materials science, and regulated environments.
Career
Professional experience
Graduate Research Scientist & Laboratory Safety Officer
University of North Texas — Omary Lab, Denton, TX
- Designed and synthesized novel photoluminescent and catalytic Pt, Au, Ag, Cu, and Zn coordination and organometallic complexes via multi-step air-free Schlenk and glove-box routes across four research programs.
- Developed C–H amination and nitrene-transfer catalytic methodology on trinuclear coinage-metal platforms, with results published in Organometallics and Dalton Transactions.
- Characterized compounds across the full materials suite (SEM/EDX, powder XRD, XPS, NMR, UV-Vis, solid-state diffuse-reflectance IR, HPLC) plus steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence (lifetimes, quantum yields, room and cryogenic temperatures).
- Performed DFT, TD-DFT, and NEB-TS modeling with Gaussian, ORCA, and VASP on Linux/UNIX HPC clusters; built Python and Bash pipelines that substantially cut large-dataset analysis time.
- Led a 6-member research project team to all milestones 15% ahead of schedule; mentored 8+ researchers in synthesis and computational methods.
- As Safety Officer: authored SOPs for SEM and XPS, enforced EHS and chemical-hygiene compliance, and achieved a 100% pass rate on all external audits with zero incidents.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of North Texas — Department of Chemistry
- Led lab and recitation sections for General Chemistry I & II and Organic Chemistry I & II.
- Instructed the Advanced Inorganic Chemistry laboratory, teaching advanced synthetic methods and advanced materials characterization to inorganic and organic lab students.
- Mentored students in synthesis, spectroscopy, and characterization technique.
Newsletter Director (Volunteer)
PMI Dallas Chapter
- Defines and executes the chapter-wide newsletter content strategy, calendar, and editorial roadmap.
- Coordinates with Chapter President, Board, and Portfolio Directors to prioritize and publish strategic updates.
- Leverages Agile workflows and Jira to deliver on-time monthly releases; analyzes engagement metrics to improve reach.
Portfolio
Selected projects
Key initiatives demonstrating technical implementation, scientific depth, and workflow automation.
Luminescent & Optoelectronic Materials
OLED Emitters
Luminescent Coinage-Metal Emitters
- Designed and synthesized Au, Ag, and Cu cyclic trinuclear luminophores via air-free Schlenk and glove-box routes.
- Tuned emission through metal, ligand, and supramolecular design; measured lifetimes and quantum yields at room and cryogenic temperatures.
- Established structure-property relationships relevant to OLED and display emitters.
Optoelectronic Absorbers
Gold-Trimer Black Absorber
- Investigated a broadband, oxidative-addition gold-trimer black absorber.
- Used DFT to quantify the cooperative iodophilic interactions driving absorption.
- Connected molecular design to photovoltaic and optoelectronic absorber applications.
Phosphors
Cu(I) Pyrazolate Cyclotrimers
- Synthesized Cu(I) pyrazolate cyclotrimers with tunable phosphorescence.
- Modulated halogen/copper interactions to control emission via relativistic effects.
- Published in Dalton Transactions (2023).
Stimuli-Responsive Emission
Luminescence Rigidochromism in Mixed-Metal Complexes
- Engineered mixed-metal cyclic trinuclear complexes with environment-responsive emission.
- Activated photophysics through Au-Ag metallophilic interactions.
- Presented at ACS Spring 2026; manuscript in review.
MOFs
Lanthanide & Zn Metal-Organic Frameworks
- Synthesized lanthanide and zinc metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) through solvothermal crystallization and ligand design.
- Confirmed phase and framework structure by powder XRD (PXRD).
- Explored luminescent behavior for optical sensing and optoelectronic applications.
Scientific Research & HPC
Automation
HPC DFT Automation Pipeline
- Built Python + Bash pipeline to submit, monitor, and post-process Gaussian/ORCA/VASP jobs.
- Automated extraction of energies, orbitals, spectra, and convergence diagnostics.
- Enabled reproducible, large-scale screening across UNIX clusters.
Computational Chemistry
DFT Catalytic Mechanism Simulations
- Modeled full catalytic cycles for transition metal complexes via DFT transition state optimization.
- Calculated Gibbs free energy profiles to identify rate-determining steps.
- Screened ligand substituents in silico to lower activation barriers and optimize selectivity.
Materials Science
Advanced Materials Characterization
- Performed SEM, EDS, XPS, and NMR to link structure, composition, and performance.
- Measured steady-state fluorescence, lifetimes, and quantum yields at room temperature and 77 K.
- Integrated experimental and DFT results for model validation.
Data Engineering
Scientific Data Engineering Toolkit
- Built Python libraries to parse, clean, and visualize large simulation datasets.
- Automated batch processing, plotting, and report generation.
- Improved reproducibility and reduced analysis time by 40%.
Project Management & Process Improvement
Lean Six Sigma
Process Optimization
- Led DMAIC initiatives to minimize variability in experimental protocols and reporting workflows.
- Used Control Charts and Pareto Analysis to eliminate root causes of defects.
- Reduced turnaround time for critical deliverables by 15%.
Compliance
Laboratory Safety Compliance System
- Developed a digital inventory tracking system for hazardous chemicals and waste.
- Authored comprehensive SOPs for high-end instrumentation (SEM, XPS).
- Achieved zero safety incidents and 100% pass rate on external EHS audits.
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