B.A., Physics, 2001, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA

M.S., Physics, 2004, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT

I am presently a graduate research assistant at Montana State University studying the magnetic and electronic properties of metal oxide nanoparticles. The experimental techniques we employ, and I am familiar with, include transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction (ED), x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), magnetic susceptibility (ACMS), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and electron magnetic resonance (EMR). This work has made me familiar with the operation of synchrotrons, specifically the National Synchrotron Light Sources (Brookhaven) and the Advanced Light Source (Berkeley).

The thrust of my research focuses on determining the extent to which surface and finite size effects dominate and alter the electronic and magnetic properties of metal oxide nanoparticles. We have specifically been investigating magneto-crystalline anisotropy, the origin of the particle moments, the temperature and field dependence of these moments, the contribution of the orbital magnetic moment, and electronic structure changes arising from confinement and lattice relaxation. Nanoparticles exist in the zero-dimensional limit at which particle diameters approach, or become smaller than, the characteristic electronic and magnetic length scales. Much of this research parallels the study from years past conducted on thin films. Just as new and unexpected properties were discovered in the transition from three to two dimensions, many emergent properties are expected during the investigation of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles are presently receiving a flood of attention across a huge variety of fields due to the wide ranging applicability of these systems to practical problems.

The particles we study are grown inside of biological cages. This is a project that spans several departments from Plant Sciences to Physics and comprises a large interdisciplinary research team at Montana State that is supported as a Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team (NIRT). Being a part of this vibrant collaboration, I have learned a great deal about interdisciplinary research and how to interact with scientists outside of the world of physics.

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