• Introduction
• Biography
• Courses
• Research
• Publications
• Graduate Students

Introduction

I have been at BYU since January 2005. I graduated with a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and a M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan. My research interestests include micromechanical contacts, optimization-based design, compliant mechanisms, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and computer modeling of electrical and mechanical phenomena.

I received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University, with my research focusing on the design of compliant bistable mechanisms for both macro-and micro-applications. Before starting Ph.D. work at the University of Michigan, I worked at Sandia National Laboratories in MEMS design and testing.

I have researched and published papers in the areas of microcontact mechanics, compliant mechanisms, micro-mechanical properties measurement, MEMS design and testing, and multi-domain computer modeling of electromagnetic and mechanical effects. I also hold seven patents. As a professor, my goal is to guide students to an understanding and love of engineering by involving them in cutting-edge research, by demonstrating "real-world" applications of engineering science, and by helping them to see the wider societal impacts of their work.