Connor Jaymes Dionne knows how to follow his heart, literally and figuratively. When his now wife was accepted to the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, Dionne applied to the Ph.D. program for mechanical engineering.

The Forest Grove, Oregon, native received his bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering from Oregon State University. When he started the Ph.D. program at URI, he was recruited by his advisor, Assistant Professor Ashutosh Giri in URI’s Energy Transport and Ultrafast Spectroscopy Lab.

There, Dionne conducted simulations studying nanoscale heat transfer and the underlying physics driving those processes. “I worked a lot on novel materials like covalent organic frameworks, as well as studying ways to increase heat transfer in materials that typically have very low thermal conductivities,” said Dionne.

Most of his work was devoted to battery material research with a focus on next-generation batteries that utilize magnesium instead of lithium. “That research was more holistic, where I started from the ground up on novel materials and wanted to investigate every aspect of them, including mechanical, thermal, and electrochemical properties,” said Dionne.

As part of his work, he also worked closely with chemical engineering Professor Arijit Bose, who performs experimental work on batteries. “I regularly attended group meetings where we were able to have well-rounded discussions that brought experimental and simulation perspectives together, as well as sharing our specific knowledge of heat transfer and electrochemistry,” Dionne said.

Dionne was primarily a research assistant within the energy transport lab, occasionally filing in as a teaching assistant. He worked with several undergraduates as well, overseeing their research progress and acting as a secondary mentor. “I often shared my own experiences from my past to help guide them in their own research careers and tried to help them develop their own research mindset,” said Dionne. “I’ve always thought that reframing a question or approach often leads the student to a more meaningful answer that they arrive at on their own, rather than giving them an exact process to get to that answer.”

Additionally, as the most senior member of the lab, he often mentored new members and helped them get up to speed with the research and the equipment. He would also help to develop a research mindset in the lab by engaging in small discussions outside of regular group meetings, exemplifying his enthusiasm for discussion and lectures. “He played a large leadership role in my lab, mentoring many undergraduate and graduate students. They all speak very highly of him,” said Giri.

Dionne was given the opportunity to teach a few classes within the last year from nanoscale physics, macroscale heat transfer, and the mechanical engineering experimentation lab class. “I had a lot of fun doing these,” said Dionne. “Some of my favorite times have been during my times as a mentor and a teacher. I enjoy working with students earlier in their career and helping to develop their research skills and ignite their curiosity about the work we do.” He finds it rewarding to see a student begin to grasp something and then expand on it in their own way, where they start to take charge in some project based purely on their own desire to learn more.

Throughout his doctoral program, Dionne published 10 papers with three of them appearing in Nature journals, and more papers in progress. He attended five conferences and won the Best Poster Award at the InterPACK 2022 conference for his work on polymerized fullerenes. He won first place in the Chemical Engineering Research Symposium at URI in 2023.

As West Coast natives on the East Coast, he and his wife, Rickie, were sure to soak up the culture. When he arrived in Rhode Island four years ago, he couldn’t even stand the sight of oysters. Nowadays, they regularly go to their local oyster bar and enjoy fresh oysters during buck-a-shuck. “During the fall, we also love to take trips around to see the beautiful colors as the leaves start to change. And as a big history buff, the amount of history here is incredible,” said Dionne.

After this summer, he and Rickie, who married shortly after arriving to Rhode Island, will move back to the West Coast to be closer to family. He plans to enter industry, ideally at a battery technology company or work in a research division. He does envision himself transitioning back to academia, but believes the expertise and mindset developed through industry can be a valuable tool.