About Josh
The University of Chicago
Josh is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago. Using a unique combination of an in situ scanning tunneling microscpe (STM) in line with a supersonic molecular beam, Josh visualizes surface reaction dynamics resulting from high-energy noneqilibrium fluxes of reactive gases impinging on model surfaces. Current research investigates moiré templated adsorption of ground state atomic oxygen on graphene and nitrogen dissociation on ruthenium. Outside of the lab, Josh enjoys teaching and communicating science. He was recognized with the Nathan Sugarman Teaching Award and organized the Tiger Talks, the student seminar series within the Department of Chemistry. Josh was honored to serve as a Director of Graduate Student Initiatives within the Department of Chemistry, the position through which he led a peer mentoring program, organized departmental town halls, advocated for students, organized community building events while satisfying COVID-19 health safety protocols, served on the Dean's Student Advisory Committee in the Physical Science Division, oversaw student elections, and facilitated faculty research seminars for the incoming cohort of graduate students.
Outside of chemistry, Josh enjoys walking his dog Ruthie (named after Ruthenium), bicycling along the lakefront, reading outside, and listening to podcasts while cooking.
Gettysburg College
Josh graduated summa cum laude from Gettysburg College and was the student commencement speaker for the graduating class of 2019. He honed his communications skills serving as editor of the Gettysburgian where his news and editorial writing was recognized by the Keystone Press Awards. As the inaugural program coordinator for the Lincoln Scholars Program, Josh coordinated a peer-mentorship program, developed and led a leadership pre-orientation for incoming first-year students, and organized monthly academic networking opportunities.
As an undergraduate student, Josh was also an active researcher. A summer research project in combinatorial mathematics with his mathematics advisor Professor Darren Glass culminated in a publication. Through a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at Purdue University, Josh investigated the topic of his senior thesis: triboluminescence of pharmaceuticals in suspension.
Beyond academic and professional development opportunities, Josh also embraced his role as a global citizen while a student at Gettysburg College. Josh studied abroad in Egypt at the American University in Cairo in 2017, only six years after the Arab Spring and during a tumultuous American presidency for middle-eastern politics. While in Egypt, Josh gained an appreciation for middle-eastern politics and Islamic architecture. (And of course... the food!) Through immersion projects to Nicaragua and Namibia, he investigated environmental sustainability and conservation as community development. In both countries, Josh especially enjoyed meeting folks who had also grown up on small family farms and was motivated to understand the challenges and strengths of their communities on topics as far-ranging as water scarcity in Talolinga to herd predation by lions in Herero villages. Following graduation from Gettysburg College, Josh accompanied Jesse Shircliff and Aawaz Pokhrel as they administered a grant from the Kathryn Davis Projects for Peace to improve school libraries in Oraste-Syangja, Nepal.
Beyond all that, Josh enjoyed riding his bicycle around the battlefield and hosting movie nights and dinners for his friends during his time in Gettysburg, PA.