DMSE Fall 2026 Seminar Series

Kate Beers, the director of the Material Measurement Laboratory \(MML\) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology \(NIST\), will discuss enabling trustworthy, high-value tools for science-based businesses in the age of artificial intelligence for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. As part of the U.S. National Metrology Institute, the NIST laboratories play a key role in advancing trust in measurement and technology in ways that enhance U.S. economic security and quality of life. For NIST's MML, impacts focus on measurement innovation, measurement services, and the convening power of an objective, nonregulatory agency dedicated to industrial translation in materials science, chemistry, and biology. Examples in this talk will illustrate these areas of impact and then dive deeper into work MML researchers are conducting to improve the quality of data and analytical tools at the interface of traditional scientific research and the new world of discovery enabled by AI and machine learning technologies. Examples will include orthogonal training datasets for improved interpretation of near-infrared spectroscopy, autonomous sampling of complex compositional spaces, and the next generation of reference materials and reference data products. Speaker bio Kathryn "Kate" Beers is the director of the MML at the NIST in the U.S. Department of Commerce. MML, one of NIST's six research laboratories, conducts measurement science research in the chemical, biological, and material sciences and contributes technical expertise to the development of standards through MML's Office of Reference Materials. MML also stewards a large portfolio of data products, including standard reference data, and world-class programs supporting food safety, forensic science, illicit drug detection, semiconductors, and emerging biotechnology, as well as many critical manufacturing sectors. Beers has served as a bench scientist and project leader, directed the Combinatorial Methods Center, and led staff and programs as Group Leader and Deputy Division Chief. In her most recent role, prior to becoming MML Director, she served as the Circular Economy Program Director. She has more than 100 publications spanning many areas of soft matter and polymer science. In addition, Beers has held influential roles externally such as assistant director for physical sciences and engineering at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, chair of the Polymer Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society \(ACS\), and chair of the scientific advisory board of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute. She has served on many interagency working groups and on editorial and advisory boards. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Arthur S. Flemming Award for Public Service, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the Department of Commerce Silver Medal, and the Mark Scholar Award from the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry. She is an ACS Fellow. Beers earned a Master of Science in polymer science and a doctorate in chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science in chemistry with high honors from The College of William and Mary.