Danny is a PhD Candidate in Materials Science & Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. He received his BS in Mechanical Engineering also at UT Austin. He is funded as a Graduate Education for Minorities (GEM) Fellow and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) Fellow. His research focuses on the mechanics of two-dimensional (2D) materials and the adsorbed chemicals that collect at their surfaces and interfaces. He recently published his first first-author paper on the mechanics of blisters that form at 2D material interfaces in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, and he’s currently working to analyze the chemical contents of these blisters.
Outside of the lab, Danny devotes time towards making STEM education and professions more inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community. He re-established the UT Austin chapter of Out in STEM (oSTEM) in 2015, and led the student organization as president for two years. He has had a variety of roles with Out for Undergrad, a nonprofit that hosts four annual conferences for LGBTQ+ undergrads in Business, Marketing, Engineering, and Tech, after attending the inaugural O4U Engineering Conference in 2015. Danny has since served the O4U Engineering Conference as Admissions Director, Sponsorship Director, and Lead Sponsorship Director. He currently works to bridge partnerships between O4U and other LGBTQ+ organizations as the Peer Organization Partnerships Director.