I am a fourth year graduate student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Non-Newtonian Fluids Lab at MIT. I am a member of Team 1.4 at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. The task of Team 1.4 is to develop energy absorbing materials; specifically, materials that exhibit excellent strength and toughness but maintain good flexibility and are low weight. Dragline spider silk demonstrates this desirable combination of mechanical properties and is considered the ideal energy absorbing material. Thus far scientists have been unable to spin fibers as strong or as tough as those spun by spiders despite the fact that Nexia Biotechnologies Inc. can produce recombinant dragline spider silk (BioSteel®). Inspired by the structure of spider silk, I am working to develop high performance elastomeric thermoplastic polyurethane nanocomposites.


Currently Team 1.4 is composed of one other grad student (Ryan Waletzko) and two faculty members (Professor G.H. McKinley & Professor P.T. Hammond). To find out more about our research or the team, please click on the links above.  You can also use the tabs to return to the NNF Lab homepage, the MIT homepage, or the ISN homepage, at any time.