Samantha Martinusen is a first year Ph.D. student in the Chemical Engineering Department here at UF. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Alabama in May 2020 with a Bachelors of Chemical Engineering with a minor in Biology. Sam was awarded Most Outstanding Senior within the Chemical Engineering department and graduated with both college and departmental honors. While at Alabama, she completed a three-semester co-op rotation with a large scale paper manufacturer where she completed cost reduction-focused research on projects aimed to improve product quality and efficiency across all levels of the process. When Sam is not working on her studies, she loves to be in nature and is likely to be willing to take a trip to the beach or the mountains whenever possible. She loves music and the arts and is thrilled with the great art scene in Gainesville and hopes to take full advantage of all the shows during her time here. Sam is excited about the opportunity to be at UF and work in the Denard Lab and is going to be an incredible asset to our group – we are so excited to have her! ​