One of Sal Baxamusa’s favorite things about working at Lawrence Livermore is the opportunity to learn new things on a regular basis. “Every day, I’m learning something new, often something that nobody ever knew before,” he says. As a chemical engineer in the Materials Science Division, Sal develops devices, materials and materials-processing technologies primarily for engineering applications that require engineered interfaces or thin films.    

Sal’s work focuses largely on understanding how different systems change over time as they interact with their environment as well as manufacturing, fabrication and synthesis steps to prevent or control those changes. One project he is especially proud of is his work on a team that developed a method to fabricate ultra-thin, tough, free-standing polymer sheets — a project the team completed in only a matter of weeks. “Our work was a lesson that developing subject matter expertise over the course of years can lead to ultra-productive bursts of scientific work,” he says. Outside of work, Sal describes himself as a “run-of-the-mill, nerdy suburban dad” who enjoys reading science fiction, listening to music, watching baseball and hanging out with his family.    

Sal received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.  

Eric Duoss is currently director of the Center for Engineered Materials and Manufacturing and a member of the Technical Staff at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where he conducts research in the areas of advanced materials and manufacturing combined with micro-architected design. His research interests include additive manufacturing, 3D printing, printed electronics, functional materials, colloids and complex fluids, soft matter, microfluidics, microencapsulation and emulsion science.   

Eric completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2009) and a B.S. in chemistry and mathematics at St. Norbert College (2003). 

For Jeremy Feaster, pursuing a career in science and research is all about making an impact on society. Jeremy’s tenth grade chemistry teacher helped him learn about chemistry, as well as how it can be used to benefit others. Throughout his education and career, Jeremy has been inspired by the dedication of people working on various problems with the goal of leaving the world in a better place.   

Now an electrochemical engineer in LLNL’s Materials Science Division, Jeremy loves the Laboratory’s collaborative environment and opportunities to grow professionally and personally. He is particularly proud of his work toward creating the first 3D-printed vapor-fed reactors for electrochemical carbon dioxide conversion, now a full-scope effort that has opened new arenas in electrochemistry and chemical engineering. Jeremy also leads a Disruptive Research project, funded by LLNL’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program. The multi-year project focuses on converting air into sustainable fertilizer.  

Jeremy also plays an active role in the Laboratory’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, serving as the co-chair for the African-American Body of Laboratory Employees (ABLE) employee resource group. He received a 2020 Director’s Diversity & Inclusion Award for mentoring Livermore High School students on topics such as discrimination, unconscious bias and navigating less-diverse environments. In 2012, he founded The Jeremy T. Feaster Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that achieves its mission of amplifying a culture of “lift as you climb” through mentoring students around the nation and awarding scholarships to under-represented students involved in community service.  

Jeremy received his Ph.D. and M.S. in chemical engineering from Stanford University and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

As a child, Brian Giera always asked “Why?” Now, he has made a career out of asking “Why?” As a chemical engineer in the Materials Engineering Division at Lawrence Livermore, Brian’s work supports several of the Laboratory’s core competencies including advanced materials and manufacturing, high-performance computing, simulations and data science. He appreciates that, together, these fields impact so many facets of modern life, from national security applications, to developing better biomedical devices, to designing aerospace components and even finding ways to alleviate climate change. “We work to tackle big problems and answer insightful questions,” he says. “Our teams look at these problems from every angle to come up with the solutions.”    

Brian’s work focuses on applying physics-based and machine-learning models to improve manufacturing. “Livermore’s multidisciplinary environment — research at the intersection of fields such as data science and advanced manufacturing — cannot be overstated,” he says, “and our teams are genuinely excited and engaged. That’s what I love about the Laboratory.”    

Brian earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his B.S. in chemical engineering at Purdue University.  

Caitlyn Krikorian (Cook) is the Functional Architected Materials Engineering (FAME) group leader within the Materials Engineering Division and the deputy director for the Center of Engineered Materials and Manufacturing (CEMM). Her research interests include the understanding of structure-property relationships and curing kinetics in polymers and the micro- and nanofabrication of hierarchically engineered materials for multifunctional integration.  

Caitlyn is currently a principal investigator for an Exploratory Research Laboratory Directed Research & Development (LDRD) project on Shape Changing of Responsive Elastomer Structures (SCoRES), a technical lead within a project focused on developing flexible display and power source technologies and leads other various manufacturing and photopolymer development capabilities.  

Caitlyn has a B.S. in materials engineering and an M.S. in polymer science and coatings from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.   

Mariana, a research scientist for the Materials Science Division in the Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, was thrilled to win the People’s Choice Award at Livermore’s 2021 Postdoctoral Research Slam. During her time as a postdoctoral researcher at LLNL, she presented her research in transforming salt cubes into a fluffy powder, called aerogel, that can be packed into panels for use as an electricity-free cooling alternative. Mariana is passionate about this project and hopes it will create affordable cooling technologies to protect the global community, reduce electricity costs and cut down carbon dioxide emissions.    

Another of her focus areas is additive manufacturing to make carbon-based electrodes for energy storage applications, an initiative that directly aligns with the Laboratory’s mission to improve the nation’s energy security. Her team is actively investigating new materials, designs and 3D-printing techniques to increase the energy and power densities of energy storage devices such as supercapacitors that rely on electrodes to function. Prior to her work at LLNL, Mariana interned at Ford Motor Company, developing hybrid cellulose composites that are eco-friendly, lightweight and provide better fuel economy for automotive applications.    

Mariana holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Michigan State University and a B.S. in mechatronics engineering and M.B.A. in business administration and management from the Universidad Salvador.