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Hi, I'm Tracy, an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University. As a former educator who transitioned into scientific research, I now focus on developing light-activated technologies for use in manufacturing processes and smart materials.
In many fields, from photocatalysis to 3D printing and soft robotics, we need to deliver light to specific locations. This is difficult because light often gets absorbed or scattered before reaching its target. Leveraging nonlinear processes can reduce the severity of these impacts by locally upconverting transmissive low-energy photons into high-energy photons.
Broadly, I am interested in transforming photons with nonlinear processes, like triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion, to deliver the light you need where you need it.
Hybrid organic/inorganic nanoparticles are an enticing platform for delivering photons, as the optically active materials and nanoparticle surface are incredibly versatile. Still, poor control over ensemble properties and application-specific compatibility challenges hinder precise, predictable performance.
The RADIANT lab will address various challenges at the molecular, nanoscale, and system level to
deliver light where it is needed
control properties at the point of delivery
for impacts in photon-driven manufacturing processes and smart materials in soft-matter applications.
My path to research has not been linear. I fell into chemistry as an undergraduate at the University of Michigan by accident - I assumed I'd attend medical school (isn't that what you do when you're good at math and science?), so I took an organic chemistry course. It was there I experienced the power of materials design to solve complex challenges with chemistry. I conducted research in the McNeil Group and earned a B.S. in Chemistry.
I also became equally interested in teaching chemistry, earned an M.A. in Educational Studies, and taught high school chemistry. My teaching was supported by a Knowles Teacher Initiative Fellowship. Through teaching, I learned to communicate complex topics and connect with diverse groups of people. I loved teaching, but I missed the creativity of research, so I paused my teaching career to pursue a Ph. D.
I earned my Ph. D. at the Colorado School of Mines in the Department of Chemistry as a part of the Sellinger Group and at the National Renewable Energy Lab.
I started my postdoctoral research in the Congreve Group when it was at the Rowland Institute at Harvard. We moved the lab to Stanford University in 2020. I am still in the Congreve Group, but now as an Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford.
Outside of science, I love to explore new places.
Cities are incredible, but hiking is my favorite way to explore and reflect. Here are some pictures from the last few years.
Hobbiton! (New Zealand, 2020, right before the pandemic)
Sequoia National Park - for scale, my partner, on the right, is ~2 meters tall - these trees are truly incredible (California, 2022)
Somewhere in the Pyrenees (Spain, 2023)
Glass House Mountains (Queensland, Australia, 2023)
South Bank (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 2023)
Obligatory photo of the Sydney Opera House - it really is amazing (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2023)
Royal Botanic Gardens (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2023)
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