Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Chemistry, Penn State University, 2016
  • B.S., Chemistry, Utah State University, 2011
Professional Honors
  • Resnick Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability Science, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), 2016
Professional Affiliations
  • American Chemical Society - ACS
Languages
  • French
  • Spanish

Dr. Read specializes in the areas of analytical chemistry, materials characterization, and electrochemistry, with a strong emphasis on the synthesis, processing and applications of polymers, colloids, powders and composites. Such material systems and applications include coatings, adhesives, films, inks, and batteries in a broad range of consumer products.

He has extensive experience in a wide variety of analytical techniques, including gas chromatography (GC), mass spectrometry (MS), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and spectroscopy (UV-Vis, FTIR, AAS). Dr. Read also possesses in-depth knowledge of materials characterization methods, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), focused ion beam (FIB), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction techniques (XRD). In addition, he is well-versed in the electrochemical characterization of energy storage devices (batteries, supercapacitors, electrolyzers and fuel cells) through a combination of galvanostatic, potentiostatic and electrochemical impedance techniques.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Read was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) where he leveraged his chemical and materials expertise to synthesize and characterize compound semiconductors for photovoltaic and solar-to-fuel applications. He also developed novel electrocatalysts for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. During his graduate studies at Penn State University, Dr. Read's work focused on the synthesis, characterization and functionalization of heterostructured colloidal nanoparticles with an emphasis on catalytic and therapeutic applications.