Careers After Graduate School—Traditional and Nontraditional Paths

Where will your materials science degree take you?  Will you follow a traditional path?  Or, are you more interested in public policy, technology transfer or publishing? 

Join our panelists as they share their experiences and answer your questions.  Light refreshments will be served with networking time to follow.

Secure Your Spot

Jenny Nelson
Imperial College

Jenny Nelson is a Royal Society Research Professor based in the Physics Department at Imperial College London, where she researches novel materials for solar energy conversion. Her current research is focused on understanding structure-property relationships in molecular and hybrid semiconductor materials and how these relationships influence the mechanisms of solar energy conversion. This work combines basic experimental (electrical, spectroscopic and structural) measurements with simulation of materials and devices, with the aim of optimizing the performance of solar cells and other devices. She also works with the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial to explore the mitigation potential of renewable energy technologies. She is an ISI Highly Cited Researcher and has published over 300 articles, several book chapters and a book on the physics of solar cells. She holds several awards, including the 2016 Institute of Physics Faraday medal, and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2014. 

Patricia Horcajada
IMDEA Energy Institute

Patricia Horcajada has an unconventional multidisciplinary scientific background, earning a BCs in pharmacy in 2001 and a PhD in materials science in 2005 from University Complutense in Madrid. She joined the Institut Lavoisier, first as postdoc in 2005 and then as CNRS researcher in 2007. Since 2016, Patricia has been Senior Researcher and Head of the Advanced Porous Materials Unit in IMDEA Energy in Madrid. Her research activity is focused to the development of new multifunctional materials and their application in energy, environment and health. She has been awarded with several prizes and awards (e.g. Young Female Talent RAC 2022, Young Researchers Leading Groups RSEQ 2020, Leonardo award 2017, Miguel Catalan 2016). She was ranked in the top two percent worldwide researchers from 2020-2022 in a ranking from Stanford University.

Gopal R. Rao
MRS Bulletin

Gopal Rao has been with MRS since 1997 as a staff member. Prior to MRS, he was a research faculty and a postdoctoral fellow at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) where he explored ion beam implantation and irradiation effects in metals and polymers, and simulating neutron irradiation effects for materials in the spallation neutron source. At MRS, he has been involved in many online and electronic initiatives including developing the earliest science content for the fledgling MRS website, and initiating the Materials360 and Meeting Scene e-newsletters. Since 2011, he has been Editor of MRS Bulletin, the Society’s flagship publication. He became Chief Editor for Technical Content in 2020, with a focus on developing technical content and integrating content across MRS programs. Gopal has a PhD in materials engineering from ORNL/Auburn University. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers in scholarly journals, numerous research news articles and miscellaneous materials-related features and articles. He has also presented at several scientific conferences. In 2015, he received an outstanding materials engineering alumnus award from Auburn University. He was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2019.

Josh Chamot
National Science Foundation

Josh Chamot is the public affairs specialist for media trends and statistics at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). He has helped lead several of NSF's largest outreach efforts, including the global 2019 Event Horizon Telescope announcement of the first image of a black hole, the 2017 announcement from NSF’s LIGO and nearly 70 telescopes confirming that colliding neutron stars produce gold, and the 2003 relocation of the iconic Liberty Bell to its current home in Philadelphia. He previously held brief communications positions at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Department of Energy, and was founding editor of the Expert Voices op-ed and features platform for Space.com and its sister site LiveScience.com. He studied meteorites in graduate school at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, earning his MS degree in geology in 2000, and double majored in music and geology as an undergraduate at the College of William and Mary, earning his BS degree in geology in 1998.

Steven Kreuzer
Exponent, Inc.

Steven Kreuzer is a Senior Managing Engineer at Exponent Inc, a scientific and engineering consulting company, based in the Natick, MA (Boston) office. Dr. Kreuzer received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a consultant with Exponent since 2013. He specializes in stress analysis using both experimental and computational approaches, which includes finite element analyses and custom mechanical systems. He has worked with numerous companies and projects, supporting everything from design assessments to analyses and tests supporting regulatory submissions.  He has been an active participant in the Living Heart Project with Dassault Systèmes since its inception and serves as a co-lead of the modeling team on the FDA / Dassault ‘ENRICHMENT’ in silico clinical trial. Dr. Kreuzer has applied his expertise to numerous domains, including electronics, aerospace, energy storage, and biomedical applications.

Lesley Millar-Nicholson
MIT Technology Licensing Office

Lesley Millar-Nicholson is the Executive Director of the MIT Technology Licensing Office (TLO), leading the team as Director from July 2016 to June 2022. She leads a team of professional staff managing the intellectual assets and technology transfer process for MIT’s inventions. Located in Kendall Square, the TLO is responsible for engagement with faculty, staff and students and for the efficient and effective transfer of IP into the marketplace to ensure impact in society. Working with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) startup companies, VCs and corporate partners, the team manage around 600 inventions per year from the MIT and Lincoln Lab campuses. The TLO is an integral part of the MIT innovation ecosystem working closely with the Office of Strategic Alliances and Technology Transfer (OSATT) Core, Corporate Relations, Deshpande Center, Venture Mentoring Service, Martin Trust Entrepreneurship Center, MIT Office of Innovation and many other programs and centers established to harness the amazing innovations from MIT faculty, students and staff. Prior to arriving in Cambridge, Millar-Nicholson had served for 10 years as Director of the Office of Technology Management (OTM) at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.

She is a Past President of the Board of Governors of Certified Licensing Professionals Inc., a former member of the Board of Directors of the Licensing Executive Society, a member of AUTM, and a member of the Bayh Dole Coalition Advisory Council. A native of Scotland, Millar-Nicholson has BEd, MEd, and MBA degrees and is a Certified Licensing Professional.