Dr. Nicholas K. Lubinsky
lubinsky@mit.edu
Plasma Wrangler
I said MEMS, not memes
Nick began with an undergraduate career at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with a B.S. in physics. With a primary interest in the hardware involved in measuring physical interactions, and a drive towards the cosmos, Nick went on to complete his PhD at University of New Hampshire in Space Physics with a focus on hardware and new designs for time-of-flight mass spectrometry within the Earth’s magnetosphere. When not in the lab, Nick enjoys practicing kempo karate. Four years of this later, and many things become clearer after hand-to-hand combat.
Nick is working on utilizing time-of-flight (TOF) techniques with the possibilities of advanced 3D printers for clinical mass spectrometry, as part of an effort in the Velasquez group, Lincoln Laboratory, and Empiriko Corporation. One such toy involves using complex, highly precise geometries to form selective electrodes, and shepherd ions based on their mass per charge ratio. Miniaturization and additive manufacture are the ultimate goals. Also included with the job title is helping with other projects, such as for retarding potential analyzers for CubeSats.