IWU GRADUATE 2005
CHEMISTRY MAJOR
PH.D. DUKE UNIVERSITY, ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
SENIOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SCIENTIST, NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IN COLUMBUS, OH.
After graduating from IWU in 2005 (and working there the year after to wait for my then fiancée/now wife to finish up at IWU), I matriculated into the Duke University Graduate School in 2006, where I conducted analytical/biophysical chemistry research involving the development of mass spectrometry-based methods for the detection of protein-ligand binding. We applied the developed methods to everything from drug screening against certain disease-state overexpressed proteins to screening proteins on a proteomic level for their affinity to drugs of interest. My experience down in Durham, NC was great, and so was the basketball! After obtaining my Ph.D. from Duke in May 2011, I accepted a post-doctoral position with the US Environmental Protection Agency in the Environmental Chemistry Branch in Las Vegas. From 2011 to July 2013, I worked for the US Environmental Protection Agency. I was a part of the national study on the impact of hydraulic fracturing to drinking water, and I applied my analytical experience with developing mass spectrometry-based methods towards the analysis in water samples of surfactants and other chemicals that are utilized during the hydraulic fracturing process. Though we grew to really love the city and the people of Las Vegas, we wanted to move a little closer to family after working out there for 2 years, as we were expecting our first child. Therefore, I took a position with Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, OH as a research scientist. I was the chemistry lead on many different studies and supported various unique toxicology studies. And then most recently, Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH offered me a position in their core laboratory as a senior research and development scientist. I accepted their offer, and now I am developing and applying analytical methods to be used for diagnostic purposes. While it can be sobering at times, my overall mission is to help sick kids-which is awesome! My experience and love for science that began at IWU has led me all across the country and into many different exciting fields, including environmental, academic, toxicology, and clinical chemistry.
