I am an applied physicist, software engineer, nanotech engineer, and process development engineer. Currently working as a data scientist / machine learning / AI engineer for Intel Corporation with a focus on creating ML utilities to leverage factory data to identify yield-impacting process issues and drive process development. At the end of the day, I really just enjoy tackling challenging problems with others who share my passion; be it hardware, software, or theory.
My previous PhD research took place in Peter Pauzauskie's Nano-Opto-Mechanical Lab in the Materials Science and Engineering department at the University of Washington. My research in the Pauzauskie Group focused on developing methods for laser tweezers to perform novel studies on nanoscale objects for energy, medical, and material applications.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
2021 - Present
- Developer of an internal interactive website that leverages fab data and machine learning models to display and flag inline issues of both mature and developing products across multiple factories.
- Work with engineers across multiple modules to improve UI experience and include various data sources to increase site usability and maximize root cause indicators.
- Website performs live updates with SQL queries on large internal databases, running on a Python backend, displayed with Plotly in a JavaScript frontend.
2015 - 2021
- Primary tool owner of multiple critical lithography equipment, where I am responsible for qualifying and sustaining all activities on the tool.
- Owner of multiple lithography process steps for developing technologies, where I work with various teams to optimize and troubleshoot lithographic patterning to enable future process technology nodes.
- Automation and software developer in lithography group, where I have created multiple software solutions to assist in data mining and visualization, as well as factory operations automation.
- Member of defect, automation, and lasers focus teams that identified potential yield and throughput issues via designed experiments and daily monitoring of critical process parameters.
- Work with lithography scanner manufactures to design hardware changes which help reduce key defect modes and improve yield for developing technology nodes.
- Work with chemical manufactures to test and help inform development of new resists and topcoats to improve yield and increase throughput.
Awards: Divisional performance award in Q3’2017 for development and implementation of automated tool monitor system.
2012
- Performed image and data processing tasks in Matlab for a high-profile patent dispute.
- Provided technical input for a reexamination response regarding image display technology.
- Consulted on laser physics and technology in patent applications and disputes.
Software Development
- Creating websites and programs with intuitive GUIs to enable data/image visualization and manipulation of large, complex datasets. Languages include Python (Pandas, Numpy, Matplotlib, Plotly, Flask, FastAPI), JavaScript, C#, SQL, and Matlab.
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence for image-based and time-series data manipulation and data extraction. Automated image classification and labeling, and signal identification.
- Collaborative workflow management with Git and online repos (GitHub and GitLab), including Git runners.
- Containers including Kubernetes and Docker.
- Interfacing hardware; collecting, processing, and analyzing complex data, images, and signals with GUIs.
- Linux and Windows scripting for data processing/mining, and software integration
Photolithography & Process Development
- Designing experiments and summarizing/analyzing factory data to inform process changes to increase yield and throughput.
Physics/Systems Modelling
- Developing analytical models of complex systems.
- Utilizing simulation packages (FDTD, FEM, DDA, DFT, MD) to test models and experiments.
Nano-Opto-Mechanical Systems
- Setup, alignment, and integration of complex optical/laser systems.
- Nanoparticle synthesis, processing, and characterization (TEM specialist).
A thorough overview of my research/publications can be found in my PhD thesis.
Updated publication and citation history and metrics can be found on my Google Scholar profile.
- Lim M, Hanson J, Vandsburger L, Roder P, et al. “Copper- and Chloride-Mediated Synthesis and Optoelectronic Trapping of Ultra-High Aspect Ratio Palladium Nanowires.” Journal of Materials Chemistry A. (2018).
- Roder P, et al. “Pulsed Photothermal Heating of One-Dimensional Nanostructures.” Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 120 (38), 21730-21739, (2016). Project Description.
- Zhou X, Smith B, Roder P, Pauzauskie P. “Laser Refrigeration of Ytterbium-Doped Sodium–Yttrium–Fluoride Nanowires.” Advanced Materials. 28 (39), 8658-8662, (2016). Project Description.
- Smith B, Zhou X, Roder P, et al. “Recovery of Hexagonal Si-IV Nanowires from Extreme GPa Pressure.” Journal of Applied Physics. 119 (18), 185902, (2016). Project Description.
- Roder P*, Smith B*, Zhou X*, Crane M, Pauzauskie P. “Laser Refrigeration of Hydrothermal Nanocrystals in Physiological Media.” PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). 112 (49), 15024-15029, (2015). Project Description.
- Roder P, et al. “Photothermal Superheating of Water with Ion-Implanted Silicon Nanowires.” Advanced Optical Materials. 3 (10), 1362-1367, (2015). Project Description.
- Smith B, Roder P, et al. “Singlet-Oxygen Generation from Individual Semiconducting and Metallic Nanostructures during Near-Infrared Laser Trapping.” ACS Photonics. 2 (4), 559-564, (2015). Project Description.
- Roder P, et al. “Laser-refrigeration of rare-earth-doped nanocrystals in water.” Proc. SPIE 9380, Laser Refrigeration of Solids VIII. 938007, (2015). Project Description.
- Smith B, Roder P, et al. “Nanoscale Materials for Hyperthermal Theranostics.” Nanoscale. 7 (16), 7115-7126, (2015). Project Description.
- Smith B*, Roder P*, et al. “Hot Brownian Thermometry and Cavity-Enhanced Harmonic Generation with Nonlinear Optical Nanowires.” Chemical Physics Letters. 639, 310-314, (2015). Project Description.
- Manandhar S*, Roder P*, et al. “Rapid Sol-Gel Synthesis of Nanodiamond Aerogel.” The Journal of Materials Research. 29 (24), (2014). Project Description.
- Roder P, Smith B, Davis EJ, Pauzauskie P. “Photothermal Heating of Nanowires.” The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 118 (3), 1407-1416, (2014). Project Description.
- Roder P, Pauzauskie P, Davis EJ. “Nanowire Heating by Optical Electromagnetic Irradiation.” Langmuir. 28 (46), 16177-16185, (2012). Project Description.
- Roder P. “Fabrication of a Stable Tunable Electronic Fabry-Perot Interferometer in the Fractional Quantum Hall Regime.” 2009 NNIN REU Research Accomplishments, 134-135, (2009). Project Description.
- Roder P, Willig-Onwuachi J. “GRAPPA Navigators: Motion Correction with Parallel Imaging.” Proceedings of The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 1291, (2008). Project Description.
- Pauzauskie P, Roder P, et al. “Crystals for cooling solutions and related methods.” U.S. Patent Application No. 15/351,352.
2010 - 2015
Utilizing Laser Tweezers to Perform Novel Studies on Nanoscale Objects for Energy, Medical, and Material Applications.
- Headed research that demonstrated the first example of local laser refrigeration in a condensed phase as well as the first experimental realization of predicted yet previously unrealized “cold Brownian motion.”
- First student in a new research group. Built the lab from the ground up, including (but not limited to) laser tables, laser tweezers, simulation computers, and chemical synthesis/processing equipment.
- Developed novel theory and experimental methods to deduce temperature fields of optically trapped nanoparticles in a laser tweezer for cancer theranostic applications.
- Utilized various characterization equipment, including the TEM, SEM, AFM, Raman, XRD, various spectrometers, optical microscopes, EMCCD cameras, forward-scattered interferometry, position sensitive detectors, and STXM NEXAFS.
- Nanoparticle synthetic experience with air sensitive chemistry, hydrothermal chemistry, and wet etching.
- Performed simulations of experiments using MEEP (Finite Difference Time Domain), DDScat (Direct Dipole Approximaiton), Comsol Multiphysics (Finite Element Method), FORCITE (Molecular Dynamics), KINETIX (Monte Carlo), GAUSSIAN (Quantum Chemistry), CASTEP (Density Functional Theory), and MATLAB.
- Interfaced equipment with computers using DAQ cards, MATLAB, and LabView. Created custom GUI to perform detailed instrument manipulation, data acquisition, and data, signal, and image processing.
Summer 2009
Fabrication of a Stable Tunable Electronic Fabry-Perot Interferometer in the Fractional Quantum Hall Regime
- Fabricated novel quantum Hall devices for wave function interference experiments.
- Utilized electron beam lithography, thermal and electron beam evaporators.
- Performed low-temperature experiments on high mobility GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure devices.
- Communicated results at NNIN conference at the University of Michigan.
Summer 2008
Creation and Preparation of Graphene for STEM Analysis
- Designed creation and transfer processes of graphene onto TEM grids.
- Utilized nanofabrication facilities to spin wafers and prepare graphene samples.
- Imaged graphene in SEM, TEM, HV HG STEM, and aberration corrected ultra-STEM.
- Learned advanced characterization techniques with Raman spectroscopy.
Summer 2007
MRI Image Reconstruction
- Designed, tested, updated, and implemented motion correction MATLAB algorithm to correct motion corrupted MRI images.
- Assisted team members to create novel RF-coils.
- Research led to poster presentation at international conference.
- Communicated results at Midstates Consortium at University of Chicago.
2010 – 2015
- Dissertation: Quantitative Photothermal Heating and Cooling Measurements of Engineered Nanoparticles in an Optical Trap.
- GPA – 3.76
- NSF Fellow (2012-2015)
- Wagstaff Fellow
- MSc in MSE (2014)
- Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate – UW Foster Business School (2010-2015)
2006 – 2010
- Graduated with Honors (GPA – 3.72, 3.8 in Major)
- Concentrations: Computer Science, Computational Modeling, Mathematics.
- Howard Bowen Scholar
- Joseph Wall Scholar
- Recipient of UW MSE Departmental Annual PhD Student Seminar (Talk, 2014)
- SPIE 2014 Summer Meeting in San Diego, CA (Talk, 2014)
- MRS 2012 Fall Meeting in Boston, MA (Talk, 2012)
- NNIN Convocation at University of Michigan (Talk & Poster, 2009)
- Harvard University NNIN Research Symposium (Talk, 2009)
- Cornell University CNS Research Symposium (Talk & Poster, 2008)
- Midstates Consortium at University of Chicago (Talk, 2007)
2010-2012
- Offered the lead teaching assistant in the Winter 2011 & 2012 quarter.
- Was one of the highest student-rated teaching assistants in the Engineering School during the Winter 2011 and 2012 quarters.
2011
Student Organizations
- UW Science & Engineering Business Association (SEBA) (2010-2014)
- UW MRS Student Society
- UW SPIE Student Society
Scholarship
- SEBA ‘From The Laboratory to Leadership’ scholarship winner (2015)
Outreach
- Roder Research Award – For the winner of the South O’Brien High School (alma mater) Science Fair Competition to be used for miscellaneous expenses for the state and national competition
- University of Washington Engineering Days “The Materials Of Music” project lead
Grinnell College Baseball
- 1st Team All-Midwest Conference (2007 – 08, 2008 – 09), Academic All-Conference (2007 – 08, 2008 – 09), Team Captain (2009 – 10)
- Pioneer Pride Award Recipient – For the player who provided leadership, hard work, outstanding effort and was an example on and off the field (2009 – 10)