Nathaniel Conrad is a Postdoctoral Scholar in Adrianne Rosales’ lab of the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin. He received a B.S. in Physics and Mathematical Sciences in 2016, an M.A. in Physics in 2019, and a PhD in Physics in 2023 from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). During his time at UCSB, his work entailed understanding the impact of DNA Nanostar (DNAns) valence, or number of bonds a DNAns makes, on the phase behavior and viscoelasticity of the resulting hydrogels. Now, at UT Austin, he is investigating the gelation pathway, mechanics, and dynamics of hydrogels assembled using star-like polyethylene glycol macromolecules of well-defined valence. To explore these properties, he employs a range of characterization techniques including rheology, optical microscopy, light scattering, and other spectroscopic methods.