Founder and CEO, Elve Speed, Inc., April 2020 – present

Staff Scientist, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, January 2017 – present

Lecturer, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, UC Davis, Winter Q. 2020 & 2021

Staff Development Engineer, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UC Davis, August 2008 – January 2017

Ph.D., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UC Davis, 2016

Dissertation: Multiscale Thermo-Mechanical Design and Analysis of High Frequency and High Power Vacuum Electron Devices

M.S., Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UC Davis, 2012

Thesis: Machining Methods for Nano-Composite Scandate Tungsten Cathodes

B.S. Double Major, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, UC Davis, 2008

IEEE Vacuum Electronics Young Scientist Award 2022:

For pioneering new manufacturing techniques, nano-CNC milling and electron-beam melting, for vacuum electronics;

for developing a reproducible nanocomposite scandate tungsten cathode manufacturing process;

and for describing the mechanics of materials interaction with electromagnetic waves.

Early Career Research Award: from Dept. of Energy on Mechanics of Materials’ Interaction with Electromagnetic Waves in Accelerator Cavities, 2019-2024.

SLAC Director’s Award: for modeling excellence, creativity, and collaboration in establishing the SLAC Accelerating Girls’ Engagement in STEM (SAGE-S) program, 2019.

Zuhair A. Munir Best Doctoral Dissertation Award: within the College of Engineering at UC Davis, 2016.

Medal of Recognition “Pax Custimus – Vita Custimus”: for development of W-Band Sheet Beam Klystron, U.S. Marine Corps, NSWC, Dahlgren Division, 2011.

Honors Society: Tau Beta Pi Engineering

Materials’ Interaction with Electromagnetic Waves

Development of an RF-pump / X-ray probe instrument, first of its kind, at the synchrotron facility at SLAC to image in-situ temporally evolving thermal strain induced by high power RF at room and cryogenic temperatures. Implementation of an elasto-plastic model of the material’s response to RF surface fields, relating material microstructural state to surface electromagnetic fields. In turn, the model will guide a synthesis pathway toward materials that are an order of magnitude more resistant to RF induced degradation.

Advanced Manufacturing

Development of electron beam based 3D printing technique for oxygen-free electronic grade copper suitable for manufacturing of vacuum electronics, including copper powder processing utilizing hydrogen treatment, surface roughness improvement to few microns scale, RF and vacuum testing demonstrating suitability. Copper additive manufacturing technology has attracted significant industrial attention leading to an establishment of quarterly industrial group meetings with over 44 companies represented and to consortium on the “Properties of Additive Manufactured Copper”.

Development of microfabrication techniques for vacuum electronics, including Nano-CNC milling and UV photo-lithography. Nano-CNC milling has enabled manufacturing of first of their kind devices above 200 GHz under DARPA, NSF, and DOE programs. UV photolithography followed by copper electroplating has demonstrated 10x scalability of millimeter wave vacuum electronics.

Nano-Composite Scandate Tungsten (NST) Cathode Technology Development and Commercialization

Development of NST powder manufacturing process for high current density cathodes, including demonstration of its performance, lifetime, and reproducibility. Established scalable high quality powder manufacturing process and transferred the technology to industry. Demonstrated long lifetime performance of NST cathodes in pulsed and continuous wave operation modes in Pierce gun, diode, and real device configurations. Designed, demonstrated, and characterized the first ever 12:1 aspect ratio high current density (>450 A/cm2) sheet beam electron gun utilizing NST cathodes.

Ultra-compact Near-THz RF Sources

Development of record holding moderate to high power and high efficiency ultra-compact RF amplifiers and oscillators at millimeter wave frequencies: a. 50 W long pulse 263 GHz TWT for electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer, b. 110 W short pulse 220 GHz TWT, c. 2 W 270 & 410 GHz self-driving TWT, d. 1 W 346 GHz BWO for plasma imaging; e. 56 kW 94 GHz short pulse klystron; f. 20 kW long pulse 94 GHz klystron, g. 60 kW short pulse 94 GHz gyrotron, h. 30 kW long pulse 94 GHz gyrotron.

Science Accelerating Girls Engagement in STEM, SAGE-S

Workforce development program for growing diverse and innovative pipeline and welcome environment within the Dept. of Energy’s National Laboratories.

SAGE-S: SLAC Accelerating Girls’ Engagement in STEM and SAGE Path: Growing of SAGE-S program beyond SLAC
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and SLAC, 2018-2023; Role: PI

Energy Driven Control of Crystallization and Alloying Pathways
Laboratory Directed Research and Development, SLAC, 2020-2022; Role: Co-PI

Mechanics of Materials’ Interaction with Electromagnetic Waves in Accelerator Cavities
Office of High Energy Physics, Dept. of Energy, 2019-2024; Role: PI

Probing RF-Induced Material Transformations
Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Dept. of Energy, 2018-2020; Role: PI

MM-Wave Subsurface Imaging
Night Vision and Electronic Sensor Directorate, U.S. Army, 2018-2020; Role: PI

Performance of Nanocomposite Scandate Tungsten (NST) Cathodes in Klystron Relevant Environments
Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2019; Role: PI

Performance of Commercially Available High Current Density Thermionic Cathodes
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2018-2019; Role: PI

Additive Manufacturing for Microwave Vacuum Electron Device Cost Reduction
Small business Technology Transfer Research, Naval Sea Systems Command, Crane Division, 2017-2021; Role: Co-PI

Advanced Diagnostics of Broad Spectrum Multipactor
Accelerator Stewardship, High Energy Physics, Department of Energy, 2018-2020; Role: Co-PI

Ultra-Compact High-Efficiency Moderate Power W-band Source Demonstrator
Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate, Army Research Laboratory, 2017-2019; Role: PI

Panofsky Fellow Selection Committee (2020-2023)

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dept. of Industrial and Systems Engineering, North Carolina State University, (2018-2021)

IEEE Electron Device Society Vacuum Electronics Technical Committee (2020-2022)

Co-Lead, Additive Vacuum Electronics Working Group (2018 – present)

Co-Lead, Consortium on the Properties of Additive Manufactured Copper (2019)

Reviewer for proposals at High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics offices at Dept. of Energy (2017-present)

International Vacuum Electronics Conference “Best Poster Award” 2019 Committee

International Vacuum Electronics Conference “Best Student Paper Award” 2017 and 2018 Committee

Science Accelerating Girls’ Engagement in STEM (SAGE-S) Program Founder

Book Chapters

Horn, T., Gamzina, D., “Additive Manufacturing of Copper and Copper Alloys,” ASM Handbook, Volume 24: Additive Manufacturing Processes, ASM International, 2020.

Baig, A., Gamzina, D., Zhao, J., Shin, Y., Barchfeld, R., Barnett, L. R., Domier, C., Luhmann, N. C., “MEMS Vacuum Electronics,” Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology, ed. B. Bhushan, Netherlands: Springer, pp. 1359-1368, 2012.

Patents

Method of Fabricating Tungsten Scandate Nano-composite Powder for Cathodes; Serial Number PCT/US2016/017198; February 2015.

Multi-layer multi-material manufacturing process for vacuum electronic devices; Patent Pending, Application 63/198,817, USPTO, Nov. 15, 2020.

Electronic magneto-electrostatic sensing, focusing, and steering of electron beams in microwave, millimeter wave, and near-terahertz vacuum electronic devices; Patent Pending, Application 63/198.915, USPTO, Nov. 21, 2020.

Journal Articles

See Google Scholar the list of publications.