I received a B.S. in Chemistry from North Dakota State University (Fargo, ND) in May 1997. My degree had a Polymers and Coatings component that led into doing undergraduate research in emulsions and powder coatings with Prof. Marek Urban. After leaving Fargo, I attended the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) where I obtained my PhD in Materials Science and Engineering. At Minnesota I studied electrically conductive polymer composites with segregated networks under the guidance of Professors Lorraine Francis and William Gerberich. Since leaving Minnesota in June of 2001, I’ve been synthesizing/studying various types of polymers and polymer matrix composites for a variety of medical and electronics-related applications at the Avery Research Center, which is the central research and development for the Avery Dennison Corporation. My current position as a Senior Research Engineer has exposed me to a variety of new chemistries and film formation processes (e.g., electrostatic self-assembly of polymer multilayers, intrinsically conductive polymer synthesis, solution processing of ceramic-organic hybrids, carbon nanotube – filled polymers, etc.). All of 2001 and a significant portion of 2002 was spent working on a NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) aimed at developing gas and moisture barriers using combinatorial methodology. Currently, I’m the group leader for Avery Dennison’s initiative in electrostatically self-assembled (ESA) thin films. While in California, I’ve also had the opportunity to teach Introduction to Materials Science at nearby Azusa Pacific University and Biola University. In August I’ll be joining the Mechanical Engineering faculty at Texas A&M University as an Assistant Professor. My research interests lie in the study of polymer composite materials with unique transport and mechanical behavior. There will be ample opportunity to develop high-throughput screening techniques in the development of these materials.