Experience

Spectra Plasmonics

• Canada
• Public Health
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Chief Technical Officer

  • Jan 2021 - May 2021

  Kingston, Ontario, Canada • Leader for the drug detection and software chemometric teams and responsible for preparing the short/long term objective plans as well as the budgets for the two teams • Improved the performance of the company’s surface enhancing Raman scattering biosensor and the short-term manufacturing/quality control of sensors • Expanded the library of opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants the biosensor could identify by over 100% • Developed multivariate models in Matlab/Python for… Show more • Leader for the drug detection and software chemometric teams and responsible for preparing the short/long term objective plans as well as the budgets for the two teams • Improved the performance of the company’s surface enhancing Raman scattering biosensor and the short-term manufacturing/quality control of sensors • Expanded the library of opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants the biosensor could identify by over 100% • Developed multivariate models in Matlab/Python for identifying illicit substances in real world samples at the Kingston Integrated Care Hub and Collins Bay Institution Show less



Queen's University

• Canada
• Higher Education

• Graduate Researcher

  • May 2015 - Apr 2021

  Kingston, Ontario, Canada • Discovered, developed, characterized, and optimized a novel, inexpensive process to electrochemically manufacture surface enhancing Raman scattering silver nanostructures using microelectrodes to use as a biosensor and licensed the process to Spectra Plasmonic Inc. • Introduced multivariate statistical models to the lab group and developed chemometric models for identifying/quantifying various bacteria, viruses, proteins, DNA, opioids, stimulants, and pesticides • Design and fabricated… Show more • Discovered, developed, characterized, and optimized a novel, inexpensive process to electrochemically manufacture surface enhancing Raman scattering silver nanostructures using microelectrodes to use as a biosensor and licensed the process to Spectra Plasmonic Inc. • Introduced multivariate statistical models to the lab group and developed chemometric models for identifying/quantifying various bacteria, viruses, proteins, DNA, opioids, stimulants, and pesticides • Design and fabricated experimental equipment using CAD software, clean room facilities and 3-D printing • Planned, co-ordinated and executed various experiments for my own and other research projects including HPLC analysis, BSL2 cell culturing, electric field driven colloidal assemblies, bacteria capture, aptamer functionalization, DNA purification, nanoparticle synthesis, surface plasmon resonance/ fluorescent assays, binding kinetics, microfluidic testing, molecule extraction, cyclic voltammetry and surface modifications/characterization via SEM, TEM, DLS, AFM, EDX and UV/Raman spectroscopy • Provided biosafety and various laboratory equipment training with prepared SOPs to new users as well as help supervise undergraduate researchers

• Teaching Assistant

  • Sep 2015 - Apr 2020

  • Prepared and presented tutorials and lectures to undergraduate students • Evaluated assignments, midterms, reports, and final exams • Material covered fundamentals of chemical engineering such as heat/mass transfer, colloid stability, immunoassay design, ELISA, PCR methods, ligand binding, making PFDs and P&IDs, designing/costing equipment, and process modelling



Spectra Plasmonics / Queen's University

• Research Consultant

  • May 2018 - Aug 2018

  Kingston, Ontario • Aided the company with planning/designing experiments to meet project objectives • Trained workers to fabricate SERS substrates and operate Raman spectrometers • Generated chemometric models for analyzing Raman spectra and identifying/quantifying samples such as tetrahydrocannabinol as well as illicit substances • Prepared SOPs for various lab procedures such as sample preparation



Pharmathen / Queen's University

• Research Consultant

  • 2016 - 2017

  Kingston, Ontario, Canada • Analyzed pharmaceutical samples using Raman spectroscopy and multivariate analysis • Generated models to predict crystallinity and quantify the active molecule in samples • Prepared reports summarizing results from machine learning models

• Undergraduate Researcher

  • May 2013 - Aug 2013

  • Calculated how the Clausius-Mossotti factor for E.coil cells varies at different medium conductivities and electrical frequencies • Investigated the use of electric fields to concentrate bacteria by means of electro-osmosis and electrothermal flows and dielectrophoretic forces • Generated computer simulations to model the effects voltage and frequency have on isolating and collecting bacteria from the bulk fluid