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STEM Ambassadors

The STEM Ambassador Program began in 2016 as a training program for a small cohort of University of Utah scientists. Since then, we have grown to work with over 170 graduate students, post-docs, faculty, staff, and undergraduate students. Scroll down to learn about the scientists who have participated. Contact us if you would like to reach out to a STEM Ambassador.

Note that many Ambassador bios were uploaded when the Ambassador joined the program and may not be current.

Ryan McLaughlin

Photo of Ryan McLaughlin

Ryan McLaughlin works for the Materials Research, Science, and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Utah in the group of Dr. Valy Vardeny doing experimental research on next-generation electronics. These include organic (carbon-based) semiconductors and devices that exploit magnetism to achieve new functionalities: a field known as “spintronics.”

Ryan’s specialization is in optical interferometry, where he uses his home-built fiber-optic laser microscope to make extremely sensitive measurements of the magnetic properties of these new materials and devices.

Ryan loves the outdoors. He can be found hiking, camping, kayaking, or climbing rocks in Utah’s beautiful mountains.