From Las Cruces, New Mexico
Currently Working in Carlsbad, New Mexico
Hey, I’m Steven — a chemical engineer working in the environmental monitoring & battery recycling industry.
Currently, I work as an environmental chemist at the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center on monitoring nuclear waste zones for radiological and inorganic toxins that could affect the nearby agricultural farming and developing innovative waste treatment technologies for those issues. Concurrently, I am working towards my MS in Chemical Engineering as a fellow of the NASA Space Grant Consortium focused on battery recycling. Previously, I have worked under a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Grant to reduce costs of aquafarming . I have co-authored scientific papers and presented at conferences on my work, which you can check out here.
Outside of my work in environmental chemistry, I do freelance work in business brandings and illustrations, take long road trips for camping and have done miscellaneous jobs throughout my adventures on the road.
Work
Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring & Research Center
2020 - 2021
Conduct monitoring of the radioactivity in the terrestrial environment around the Waste Isolation Power Plant (WIPP), the United State’s only deep repository for defense-generated nuclear waste and radioactivity of oil and gas activities in the Permian Basin.
NASA Space Grant Consortium
2020 - 2022
Awarded $10,000 fellowship to develop innovative recycling and regenerative processes for used batteries in order to reduce costs and environmental impact of battery usages at NASA sites.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
2016 - 2018
Awarded $10,000 to synthesize nano-material systems reducing aquaculture business costs by > $1 million/yr for early detection of microbes leading to necrosis in shrimp farm colonies that causes catastrophic failures.
NMSU Thin Films & NanoMaterials Lab
2012 - 2022
Developed novel nano-materials for renewable energy device (e.g. supercapacitators, fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries) with electrochemistry and material science technology.
Los Alamos National Lab
2014
Streamlined microfluidic processes and design of lab-on-a-chip devices in the LANL Bioscience division for further implications in the healthcare industry. Won 2nd place for LANL Student Symposium for research presentation.
Education
New Mexico State University
Masters of Science in Chemical Engineering (2020-2022)
Las Cruces, New Mexico USA
Loughborough University
English Language & Literature Study Abroad Program (2014)
Loughborough, Leicestershire England
New Mexico State University
Bachelors of Arts in Biology & Biochemistry (2012-2018)
Las Cruces, New Mexico USA
Branding Design
Select Clients
Serra Petals — Edible Flowers
Southwest Family Dental
5 Random Facts About Me
Piloted a TV Show “Awesome Reptiles” and debuted it at the Las Cruces International Film Festival
Hosted radio segment for KRUX 91.5 Station
Joined a judo team while studying abroad in Loughborough, England
Lifeguarded after swimming competitively for 8 years
Elementary school chess champion…
Elementary school was named after Clyde W. Tombaugh: discoverer of Pluto.
