He previously served as a Research Engineer and Instructor within the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics at Michigan Technological University. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Tech in 2001 and 2003, respectively. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics from Michigan Tech in 2008. In 2006, he was awarded a Graduate Certificate in Sustainability from the Michigan Tech Sustainable Futures Institute (SFI), which recognizes curricular breadth in industrial, environmental, and societal systems.