Zachary Sims started as an intern at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, became a graduate student in the Bredesen Center at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, finished his doctorate and as of January 2021 is a postdoc with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He worked as part of the CMI team that created a new aluminum-cerium alloy. He shared information about the alloy work in the CMI webinar "Recent Advances in Aluminum-Cerium Alloys," link to webinar
He says that after graduating from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor's degree in physics, "I pursued employment with Orlando Rios in the Deposition Science and Technology group. I began work on the development of the aluminum-cerium alloy system. I was introduced to the Bredesen Center through some ORNL contacts and with my interest in scientific policy."
"After being accepted to the program, I have continued my work in developing the aluminum-cerium system while attending class and furthering my education," Sims said. "In total I have nearly six years of research experience, and my time at ORNL has educated me on such research techniques as: X-Ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, and magnetic characterization to name a few. The past two years working in the CMI have been the most educational and productive years of my life.”