Ashley White, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Candidate for Board of Directors

Ashley White is the Deputy Director for Strategy for the Advanced Light Source, a synchrotron x-ray user facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She is also an Advisor in the Energy Sciences Area Office, which oversees much of Berkeley Lab’s materials and chemistry portfolio. In these roles, she draws on her background as a materials researcher and science policy advisor to inform science strategy and engage the research community, federal funders and policymakers, and the general public.

Prior to joining Berkeley Lab, she served as an MRS/Optica Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow in the U.S. Senate and as a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the National Science Foundation’s Division of Materials Research. She also previously managed the materials research program at the U.S. Green Building Council, the non-profit organization that develops and maintains the LEED green building rating system.

She received a PhD in materials science from the University of Cambridge and a BS and BA in materials science and engineering and music, respectively, from Virginia Tech. Although Ashley’s research during her studies concentrated on ceramics for energy and biomedical applications, her focus shifted to materials sustainability during her professional career. 

Ashley was the founding chair of MRS’s Focus on Sustainability Subcommittee and has been involved with MRS’s sustainability efforts and organizing sustainability programming at MRS meetings for more than a decade. She is an editorial advisory board member of MRS Energy & Sustainability and briefly served as its interim Editor-in-Chief, and has previously volunteered on the MRS Government Affairs Committee. A long-time advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Ashley oversees these efforts for Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source and has been recognized with a Berkeley Lab Director’s Award for building the foundations of the Lab’s mentoring ecosystem. Ashley was honored to give the keynote address at the 2022 MRS Fall Meeting’s Women in Materials Science and Engineering Breakfast. She was a Meeting Chair for the 2023 MRS Spring Meeting and was the 2018 recipient of the MRS Woody White Service Award. Ashley also served for three years on the Board of Directors for the Society for Science at User Research Facilities, a professional society that represents and supports the scientific communities associated with large-scale US user research facilities.

Candidate's Statement

The Materials Research Society has been my home society for nearly twenty years. My relationship with MRS started as many members’ do – presenting my research at a meeting as a graduate student. Following my studies, I was honored to be selected as an MRS/Optica Congressional Science & Engineering Fellow in the U.S. Senate, serving as a science policy advisor on Capitol Hill for a year.

That experience launched my career in a direction I never expected, moving away from bench science but always toward roles aligned with MRS’s mission: to advance interdisciplinary materials research and technology to improve the quality of life. In particular, I have been deeply committed to bringing together diverse disciplines and perspectives towards common goals and supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in science. As my career evolved, from working at a federal agency to a non-profit to a government-sponsored national laboratory, MRS has been a constant, welcoming me as a volunteer and providing the opportunity to lead.

Sustainable development of materials requires cooperation among different scientific fields and practitioners, aligning well with MRS’s mission. The urgent need to develop materials more sustainably, and for materials science to contribute to sustainable solutions, drew me to lead these efforts at MRS over the past decade. From AI/ML-driven materials discovery and characterization to harnessing synthetic biology to design and produce novel substances, materials advances are informed by an increasingly diverse array of disciplines. As a Board member, I will advocate for initiatives that promote interdisciplinary approaches and create platforms for knowledge exchange, ensuring that MRS remains at the forefront of fostering scientific discoveries that enable societal benefit.

MRS’s strongest attribute is its members, a group that continues to increase in size and diversity. Engaging a broad and global scientific community is at the heart of my work at the Advanced Light Source, which offers synchrotron capabilities and expertise to researchers worldwide. For MRS to maintain its growth and reach its aspirations for global member engagement and career advancement, it must focus on inclusion. Only by pursuing novel ways to involve MRS’s member base, provide value in a continually evolving set of scientific areas, and support diverse backgrounds and career paths, can MRS leverage the full potential of its membership. If elected, I will focus on initiatives that expand MRS’s international outreach, increase engagement across the spectrum of members’ institutions and career paths, and ensure our meetings and publications serve as forums for all. By creating an inclusive environment, we can nurture and retain innovative, passionate individuals who will drive the future of materials research.

I am honored to be considered for the MRS Board of Directors. Together, we can build a stronger, more inclusive MRS that continues to lead and inspire. Thank you for your support.