Bachelors Degree:   UBC   (1992)  
  Doctoral Degree:   Cornell University   (1997)  

Employment History:  
Postdoctoral Fellow (NIH) 1997-1999
Assistant Professor (UBC) 1999-

I am currently actively recruiting new graduate students.
 

• Spider silk: We study the molecular orientation, dynamics and interactions in these remarkable protein fibres.
• Resilin We study the molecular conformation and dynamics of this outstanding natural rubber material.
• Optical Pumping: We study the large non-equilibrium nuclear spin polarization developed in semi-conductor samples at low temperatures under laser irradiation, and are developing a technique known as transferred optical pumping, where this polarization could be harnessed to study biological materials overlaid on a semiconductor substrate.
• Two-photon NMR: We have developed a new technique known as two-photon NMR noise spectroscopy, which solves a longstanding experimental problem in nuclear magnetic resonance. We are currently interested in exploring applications of the technique to materials.
• Artificial Muscles: We have just begun a colloboration with John Madden in Electrical and Computer Engineering to study polymers that may be useful as artificial muscle materials. Some of these materials are also promising supercapacitor electrodes, and may have applications in power storage.