Prior to coming to Berks, Aurentz was a Senior Research Chemist at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. in Allentown PA. His research is focused on the application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to different types of materials. Dr. Aurentz is interested in using solid-state NMR methods to observer the nature of aluminum atoms in a zeolite's framework with the purpose of understanding zeolitic reactivity. Additionally Aurentz studies the physical state of water when associated with materials such as zeolites, glasses, gels and cement and employs deuterium (2H) NMR to probe deuterated water (D2O) in these hydrated materials. Finally, he is interested in the application of spectroscopy to relevant biological systems.