Resume | C.V. | Contact | Home

Ryan Molecke's Online Resume

Objective:     New employment opportunities Education: University of New Mexico     B.S.E. Computer Engineering (May 2006)     Ph.D. Nanoscience & Microsystems Engineering        conc. in Nano-Bio Interfaces (Feb 2011)

Research Experience: Advanced Logic / Electronics / Microprocessor Design, Computer Architecture and Design, Controls and Process Engineering, Robotics, Diagnostic Systems, FPGA/CPLD's, Animation / Games / Web Design, Custom Hardware Interface Design, Digital Signal Processing, Networks, Vacuum/Pressurized Systems, Machining, Welding, High Power Systems, Plasma Systems, Laser Tweezers Force Measurement, Micro/Nanoscale Characterization, MEMS, Nanofluidics, Electrochemistry, Drug-Delivery, Quantum Dots for Biomedical Applications, Biomedical Engineering, FRAP, Multispectral Imaging, Evaporation-Induced Self-Assembly, Coarse-graining and Semi-empirical Methods, Atomic / Molecular / Mesoscale Simulation and Modeling, Quantum Density Functional Theory, Colloid and Thin-Film Dynamics, Discrete and Finite Element Modeling, SAXS/GISAXS, Clustering Analysis, Statistical Methods, Crystallography, Surface / Interface Physics

Programming Experience: VHDL, Java, Swing, C, C++, Perl, PHP, SQL, Tcl, Tk, HTML, XML, CSS, Javascript, AJAX, jQuery, Expect, Assembly, shell scripting, ActionScript, Lingo, R statistics engine, Matlab, Mathematica, BASIC, Labview, LAMMPS, Materials Studio, CASTEP, Crystal Ball

Professional Experience:

June 2009 to Feb 2011, UNM Advanced Materials Laboratory, Research Assistant Modeling and simulation of "soft-particle" colloids using the Large-Scale Atomic/Molecular Massively-Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS). I implemented the classical Flory-Huggins polymer/solvent interaction potentials into LAMMPS, and matched simulations of evaporation-induced self-assembly in a system of gold nanoparticles coated with dodecanethiol in a toluene / PMMA solvent. I updated LAMMPS-user peripheral capabilities, including developing a tool to simulate grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray spectroscopy (GISAXS) intensity plots, and a tool to analyse clustering vs. randomness in 3D distributions of particles. June 2007 to June 2009, UNM AML / Sandia National Laboratories, Research Assistant In the Laser Tweezers Optical Trapping lab at Sandia National Labs (Microfluidics Group), I investigated force interactions between micro-particles and live cells for drug-delivery applications. I performed electrochemistry and biochemistry sample preparation for characterization with the laser tweezers. I wrote software and hardware drivers to control the microscope stage, high-res ccd camera, laser, and acousto-optic deflector. I helped write statistical analysis code to infer force interactions from video files of trapped-particle interactions using artificial vision algorithms. August 2006 to June 2007, UNM Center for High Technology Materials, Research Assistant Crystallographic analysis of semiconductor nano-pillars and nano-pyramids formed via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, atomic modeling of lattices and surface reconstructions, advanced crystal formalism and theory. I have extended this research to model evolution of crystal shape during growth and extrapolation of surface energies for correlation to first-principles calculations and nanoparticle toxicity studies. June 2005 to January 2006, Intel, Product Engineer (Intern), Handheld Sort Dept. Operation and programming of die-level microchip testing machines. Industrial microchip testing and failure analysis. Industrial manufacturing statistical analysis and graphical modelling. Yield analysis, material dispositioning, tools programming, tech documentation. Aug 2004 to Present, UNM Spatio-Temporal Cell Pathology Group, Software Engineer I wrote a Tcl/Tk/Expect/R graphical user application that enables cancer researchers to more easily quantify protein clustering and co-clustering on cancer cell surfaces. I updated this tool to accept 3D data and implemented a similar tool in LAMMPS. 2004-2006, Undergrad Design Projects UNM Electrical & Computer Engineering College, Hardware Engineer I designed and constructed a hardware/software system to detect and diagnose component errors on a small robot. I built several high-voltage circuits such as Tesla coils and plasma-globe drivers. I designed and constructed an FPGA-based automatic chess annotation machine including magnetic chess board, LCD screen, serial communications system, mini-printer, and Java Swing graphical user interface. I was also the ECE department webmaster in 2004/2005. Mar 2003 to Dec 2004, UNM Plasma Fusion Research Laboratory, Reseach Assistant I constructed the main (IGBT-based) pulsed power unit to supply 1 kA current pulses for the Helcat plasma device, and an accompanying 1 F capacitor bank. This pulser still powers the plasma chamber, seven years later. I did purchasing, built cooling, cabling, and chamber hardware, and programmed the PIC microcontroller system.

Awards:

ACS/NIH 2006 Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Graduate Fellowship I was awarded aid by the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health to advance research and understanding in the natural sciences with a focus on nanoscience. As part of this fellowship I participated in community outreach in the forms of student tutoring and science demonstrations at local grade-schools, and attended seminars and three research rotations.

Background:

I grew up in Albuquerque, NM. I did high school speech and debate and I was an elite gymnast through college. My hobbies include playing piano, stained-glass, and electronics.