About

I am a Mechanical Engineering PhD graduate with five years of industry experience, specializing in mechanical design, prototyping, soft robotics, and additive manufacturing.

After finishing my BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2011, I spent five years in industry, first as an apprentice fabricator and structural engineer working on architectural metalwork, and then as an R&D project engineer at a major railcar manufacturer. In 2016, I returned to graduate school to advance my technical skillset and build towards a career in cutting-edge product development. I want to apply my skills and effort to meaningful projects that have a positive impact on our society.

As a PhD student in the Mechanical Science and Engineering Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I worked under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth T. Hsiao-Wecksler in the Human Dynamics and Controls Laboratory and Dr. Girish Krishnan in the Monolithic Systems Lab. My graduate research included a soft robotic cardiac training simulator, analytical and FEM models for elastomeric actuators, a novel 3D printer for multi-material printing of silicone-based inks, and two soft robotic upper extremity exoskeletons.

Education

PhD, Mechanical Engineering | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2022)

BS, Mechanical Engineering | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2011)

Industry Experience

3M | Maplewood, MN

Product Design Specialist, Separation and Purification Sciences Division (July 2022 – Present)

Union Tank Car Company | Chicago, IL

Research and Development Project Engineer (November 2012 – July 2016)

Crosstree, Inc. | Chicago, IL

Engineer / Apprentice Fabricator (June 2011 – November 2012)

Minnesota Wire & Cable Co. | St. Paul, MN

Engineering Intern (May – August 2008, June – August 2010)

Technical Skills

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) | SolidWorks, Inventor, CREO, Solid Edge, Blender

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) | Abaqus/CAE, Ansys

Programming and Data Processing | MATLAB, LabVIEW, Python, C

Hands-On | Elastomer casting, soldering, machining, metal forming, welding, woodworking

Miscellaneous | Design optimization (e.g., gradient-based, topology, heuristic), 3D printing