People
Dr. Corinne E. Packard
Associate Professor
Email: cpackard@mines.edu
Dr. Packard is an Associate Professor in the George S. Ansell Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department at the Colorado School of Mines and holds a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the National Center for Photovoltaics. Prior to appointment at Mines, Packard earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from MIT. Her research program applies experimental techniques commonly used to characterize mechanical behavior and properties in structural materials to solve problems in ceramics in predominantly energy-related applications. She has focused on elucidating the principles and mechanisms of deformation behavior in ceramics at the micro- and nano-scales. In 2014, she received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award and was selected as a TMS Young Leader. In 2017, she received the AIME Robert Lansing Hardy Award. To date, she has more than 30 archival publications, 4 issued patents, and has given over 40 invited and contributed talks.
TOF-SIMS Manager
Michael Walker
TOF-SIMS Manager
Email: mawalker@mines.edu
Coming to Mines with nearly 20 years of experience in the Semiconductor industry, Michael joined Dr. Packard’s group as a TOF-SIMS specialist tasked with running and maintaining Mines’ brand new ION-TOF 5 instrument to assist students with their research projects. Michael has worked at Motorola, Texas Instruments and Samsung Austin Semiconductor in such areas as Diffusion, Failure Analysis, Yield Enhancement, Research and Development and, most recently, eight years in the Surface Analysis field utilizing TOF-SIMS, MS-SIMS, XPS, AES, and AFM to support the manufacturing of integrated circuits. In addition to his work in the field of technology, Michael also enjoys exploring his creative side. He is a published fiction writer and has experience in the video and film industry as a Writer, Producer, Director, Assistant Director, Editor, Script Supervisor, Cameraman, and Production Assistant. He also enjoys spending his free time at home making all kinds of fun things with his two 3D printers, laser etcher, and CNC wood carver.
Graduate Students
Nicholas Yoo
PhD Student
Email: nyoo@mines.edu
Nicholas joined in January 2023 and is working towards a PhD in Chemical Engineering. He is working on optimizing all aspects of the controlled spalling project. It is focused on reducing the area and severity of river line defects in Ge wafers by optimizing the electroplating process, the actual spalling process, and eventually the growth process. Nicholas had his undergraduate degree at Villanova University, with a BS in Chemical Engineering.
Henry Afful
PhD Student
Email: hafful@mines.edu
Henry joined the group in August, 2020 and is working towards his PhD in Materials Science. He is currently investigating the use of rare earth orthophosphates in Thermal Barrier Coating applications. Henry received a Master’s degree in Materials Engineering from Southern University and A&M College, where he researched self-healing polymer composite materials for aerospace applications. Prior to this, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Ghana. While there, he gained some research experience in polymeric coating materials.
Sierra Astle
PhD Student
Email: sierra_astle@mines.edu
Sierra is a CoorsTek Fellow pursuing her PhD in the Materials Science program at Mines. Her research focuses on the controlled spallation of III-V solar cells, with the aim of reusing the substrate in order to lower the cost of these renewable energy materials. These materials, when put under additional stress by a stressor layer, will mechanically spall on a preferred plane, allowing reuse of the substrate while keeping the device grown on top. Sierra graduated with honors from Penn State University in 2023, with a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering. She has previous research experience conducting molecular dynamics simulations of calcium aluminosilicate glass systems, as well as physical testing of silicophosphate glasses.
Jai Sharma
PhD Student
Email: jsharma@mines.edu
Jai is working towards his PhD in the Materials Science Program. He is investigating the kinetics of pressure-induced phase transformations in rare earth orthophosphates. These materials can exhibit transformation plasticity, ferroelasticity, and resistance to thermal and chemical degradation. Applications include oxide-oxide ceramic matrix composites in which rare earth orthophosphate fiber coatings improve performance. Jai is also conducting STEM outreach by developing kinetics teaching modules for children with dyslexia. He graduated with a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2019. Jai has prior experience in solvothermal synthesis and x-ray diffraction.
Savannah Ullrich
PhD Student
Email: sullrich@mines.edu
Savannah (she/her/hers) is a CoorsTek Fellow and pursuing her PhD in the Materials Science program. She is working with the Naval Research Laboratory to determine the thermal stability and hardness of transparent nanocrystalline magnesium aluminate spinel. In December 2016, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas. She then performed product testing within the Chemistry Department at Underwriters Laboratories prior to joining the Mines community. She has past research experience in nanomaterial synthesis.
Undergraduate Students