What is your next adventure?
I plan to stay in academia in some capacity. I'm considering applying for postdocs at the University of Washington and the Pacific Northwest National Lab. I want to continue working on high-speed large eddy simulation. I think there’s a lot of interesting work in the that area left to be done, especially at hypersonic speeds. But I'm also interested in applying the tools I've learned during my PhD to other problems, such as weather patterns and climate change, which aligns with the University of Washington's atmospheric science department.

What about your next adventure are you most looking forward to?

I'm most excited about the opportunity to work more directly in a team setting and collaborate with others. During my PhD, I had great collaborations with my lab mates and PhD students at other universities. I enjoyed the team aspect and bouncing ideas off each other. I'm looking forward to working with other smart people and having collaborative goals, which will be a refreshing change from the more isolated nature of dissertation work.

Did you have any previous co-op, internship, or research experience in this area?

During my undergraduate time at Union University, I had a really meaningful research experience funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). I spent the summer at University of Alabama and did computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of a rigid wing sail catamaran. They are essentially like an airplane wing turned on its end. That experience led me to pursue graduate school so I could be involved in more CFD research, specifically projects involving aircraft and hypersonics. I feel like I got lucky in that aspect, finding what I wanted to study right away and stuck with it. 

My research explores the negative effects of shockwaves on supersonic and hypersonic vehicles. When they interact with the boundary layer, it creates a very complex phenomenon that is hard to study experimentally and very hard to model. My work specifically seeks to understand and predict these interactions better and mitigate the negative effects of them so that we can achieve very high speeds effectively. 

How did your educational experience at Georgia Tech help you to achieve your goals?

The rigor of the program was instrumental. My classes were extremely useful, and professors were knowledgeable, ensuring we learned the necessary concepts well. The PhD process, particularly the qualifying exams, was rigorous and helped refine my knowledge and skills. Collaborating with fellow students and receiving my advisor's (Prof. Oefelein), guidance were also fundamental to my growth as a researcher. These experiences have prepared me well for my future career, ultimately as a professor.

What advice would you give to an underclassman who would like to follow the same path?

I would advise them to grasp onto other opportunities and not be solely focused on their research. Gaining new skills and learning new things along the way is very helpful. Also, don't be afraid to ask for help and utilize all the resources around you, from professors to fellow students. Remember that you're not expected to do everything on your own, and seeking help and inspiration from others is crucial.