Ruby is a postdoctoral researcher working on using mechanochemistry to create functionalized chitin and chitosan, with the goal of developing sustainable materials for wastewater treatment and contaminant removal. I collaborate with academic partners to explore additional applications, and with industrial partners to investigate how these materials can be scaled up and tested in real-world remediation settings. I’m also extending this chemistry to starch—especially pulse starch—to help transform underused agricultural resources into high-value functional materials.

Outside the lab, I’m usually sipping something warm, reading with my cat, or off kayaking and hiking whenever the weather cooperates.