Dr. Brian Welch is working to bring desalination membrane materials into the semiconductor age. By employing vacuum techniques such as molecular layer deposition, he is designing <5nm semipermeable membrane polymer films to incorporate special qualities such as antifouling surfaces and degradation resilience. Brian obtained his Ph.D. (2021) and M.Sc. (2019) in Mechanical Engineering under Prof. Steve George at the University of Colorado where he also received a BS (2013) in Chemical Engineering. Prior to graduate school, he had professional experience in the petroleum and nuclear industries.