Nonscientific Research Interests

The core focus of my nonscientific research interests is in international relations theory and policy, particularly as it relates to addressing scientific/worldwide issues, the development and dissemination of technologies, and collaborative academic measures. I am also interested in philosophy - particularly political philosophy - as it relates to the idea of individual freedom and/or equality.

I am also intensely interested in the relationship that science and technology have with society as a whole.

Mathematic/Scientific Research Interests

My main materials research interest is in the synthesis, characterization, and functionalization of one dimensional nanostructures, particularly bio-functionalization of nanowires. This research helps explore the interaction of organic and inorganic materials to aid in the use of technologies in biological applications. I am also interested in their semiconducting and luminescent properties and using those properties in the development of display and other semiconducting device applications.

Other scientific research interests include semiconductor device development, measurement (metrology) systems, and advanced data analysis techniques.

My dissertation work was in the physical synthesis of nanostructures, particularly those with the wurtzite structure, including ZnO, ZnS, CdSe, and GaN. These materials have many interesting properties ranging from piezoelectricity to luminescence that make them very useful for nanotechnology applications. To investigate the properties and uses of these nanostructures, I use SPM, SEM, XRD, TEM, and HR-TEM microscopy techniques. For the potential uses of one-dimensional nanostructures, I'm interested in the optical and electrical responses of the nanostructures and in the chemical/biological functionalization of the different crystallographic surfaces.

More recently, I have been interested in statistics research, particularly as it is applied to analyzing large amounts of scientific (experimentally based) data. I also have a deep love for graphical representations of mathematical proofs.