Austin grew up moving across the Southeastern United States before attending the University of Mississippi where he obtained a BA in Chemistry in 2016. Austin remained at UM to complete his PhD under the advisement of Dr. Nathan Hammer. There, he used a host of spectroscopic techniques to study complex systems with solar energy harvesting and bioimaging applications. After successfully defending his dissertation, Austin joined the Grieco lab in June of 2022 to assist with designing the lab’s ultrafast transient absorption instrumentation. His research interests include novel instrumentation design and data acquisition techniques for studying irreversible, ultrafast dynamics in mixed ion-electron conducting materials. Outside of the laser lab, Austin enjoys bouldering at Auburn’s rock wall, walking his dogs, and arguing over photonics at nice restaurants.