NSE Communication Fellow 2018-2021
now Research Engineer at Air Force Research Lab
jvl2xv@mit.edu
(she/her/hers)
Julie joined the NSE Comm Lab during her first year and thoroughally enjoyed being a member of the team until her degree completion 3 years later. She found particularly fulfilling the oportunity to help prospective and new PhD students navigate the communication-intensive and often unfamiliar road from application through quals. Her dissertation focused on understanding the differences in radiation tolerance among semiconductors, with a focus on radiation damage done to optoelectronic materials in orbit, under a fellowship sponsored by Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate. She implemented experiments to probe defect accumulation rate in semiconductors and linked these results to quantum mechanical predictors of radiation tolerance under the direction of Prof. Mike Short. Upon completion of her PhD, she went on to work for her sponsoring facility at AFRL where she continues to study the response of optoeletronic semiconductors to radiation damage. Julie’s experience with the Comm Lab helped her to recognize a passion for both effective communication as well as for helping along the next batch of engineers.