I am graduate student studying the underlying mechanisms of molecular motions in gas-expanded liquids as well as liquid water.
My path to graduate school was slightly non-linear. I graduated from the University of Missouri in Summer of 2017 with my B.S. in Physics. During my time there I worked with Profs. Donald Thompson and Thomas Sewell to study shock propagation using molecular dynamics simulations. Prior to this I had always planned on pursuing a Ph.D. in physics; however, in 2016 I decided to go for a Ph.D. in chemistry instead. To help with this transition, I began working with Profs. Ward Thompson and Brian Laird at the University of Kansas, who became my graduate advisors when I started my Ph.D. program in Chemistry in Fall 2017.
My research has primarily focused on the development of the fluctuation theory for dynamics. This theory utilizes fluctuations inherent in energy inherent in a thermostatted (or barostatted) trajectory to calculate derivatives of dynamic timescales (like diffusion) with respect to temperature (or pressure in the case of a barostat). These derivatives are completely local, as simulations only at a single temperature or pressure are required. This allows for the direct study of systems that are non-Arrhenius.
Articles About Me: [1] http://mizzoumagarchives.missouri.edu/2012-Spring/columns/music-the-tie-that-binds/index.php [2] https://chem.ku.edu/ku-chemistry-phd-candidate-zeke-piskulich-earns-nsf-fellowship