Rachel graduated from Caltech with a PhD in chemistry. She received her BS in chemistry from the University of Florida, where she conducted research in the Butler Polymer Research Laboratory under the advisement of Prof. Ken Wagener and Prof. Ken Sloan. Her research focused on the application of polymer chemistry to enhance sunscreen stability and efficacy. At Caltech, Rachel aimed to develop novel copper-containing polymeric films for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to produce liquid fuels and useful chemicals.
In 2019, Rachel won the best student poster award and gave two talks at the inaugural US-Africa Forum on Nanotechnology Convergence for Sustainable Energy, Water and Environment, hosted by the University of South Africa near Johannesburg.
Rachel is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
RSI Research: Next Generation of Copper-based Electrode Materials for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
PhD Thesis: Controlling Dynamics of Microstructure Formation in Mixed-Matrix Polymeric-Particle Membranes
