Phil Bunting

Background

About Phil Bunting

I enjoy making things, whether it's a novel molecule or nanoparticle, a Python package for data analysis, or hardware for custom measurements and materials R&D. Key skills- Programmatic data analysis: I can quickly write a one-off Python script to explore some new data or model and can also develop more refined Python packages and libraries for use by others- Broad working knowledge of chemistry and materials science: Projects, publications, and proposals that I have worked on have covered topics such as: molecular and nanoparticle magnetism, granular magnetoresistance, electronic communication in charge transfer complexes, perovskite solar cells, charge transport in biomaterials, dynamic catalysis, dark matter detection, and more- Synthetic chemistry: I have extensive experience with air-free organometallic chemistry as well as experience with nanoparticle synthesis. I am able to combine the design rules of a class of material with the desired target properties to develop a pathway to a novel material- Broad working knowledge of many chemistry-adjacent fields: I have first hand experience with 3D modeling for a variety of manufacturing techniques, 3D printing, traditional machining, electronics & microcontroller use, and software development. Expertise- Python software development and data analysis. Pandas, numpy, matplotlib, scipy, scikit-learn, pytest etc- Inorganic chemistry, materials science - Magnetometry - Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS)- CAD - 3D printing I completed a PhD in inorganic chemistry with Jeff Long at UC Berkeley where I studied the synthesis and magnetism of low-coordinate transition metal complexes. Much of my work relied on figuring out how to make molecules with particular structural moieties. Once synthesized, I led an international team of collaborators in the characterization of a molecule with unique electronic and magnetic properties. A highlight from my experience as a postdoctoral researcher was the vast experience I gained in areas which complement my chemistry expertise. Using a combination of 3D printed parts, machined parts, commercially available electronic components and sensors, and Arduino microcontrollers, I built several setups to aid in our group's research. These include a setup for measuring the electrical properties of thin films of a biomaterial in a temperature- and humidity-controlled environment and a reaction monitoring system which tracked gas flow and composition as well as interfaced with a temperature controller for data logging.