Marla Lorraine Dowell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Dowell, NIST photograph, 2022 | |
| Born | 1965 (age 58–59) |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan Massachusetts Institute of Technology University of Colorado Boulder |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Communications Technology Laboratory JILA NIST |
| Thesis | Pion single charge exchange in three body nuclei at intermediate energies (2005) |
Marla Lorraine Dowell (born 1965) is an American physicist who is Director of the CHIPS R&D Metrology Program and NIST Boulder Laboratory.
Dowell became interested in science and mathematics as a child.[1] Her father is an engineer[1] and her step-father was a physicist.[2] Dowell was an undergraduate in physics at the University of Michigan.[3] She was encouraged by her physics professors to pursue a career in research.[1] She moved to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for doctoral research, where she worked under the supervision of June Lorraine Matthews.[4] Her doctoral research considered pion single charge exchange.[5] After earning her doctorate, Dowell joined JILA, where she worked as a postdoctoral research associate in atomic physics. Dowell has been a long-time advocate for K-12 STEM education.[6] She earned a Master of Business Administration at the University of Colorado Boulder.[1]
At National Institute of Standards and Technology, Dowell was responsible for the NIST laser metrology program. At the start, the group focused on calibration, but under her leadership, Dowell developed a research program in laser metrology for industrial applications. [7] Connecting fundamental research to industry needs has been a unifying theme of Dowell's career – from optical metrology for semiconductor manufacturing to solving today’s challenges with 5G deployment with new electromagnetic metrology. [8] She has leveraged partnerships with other federal agencies to expand NIST research activities in wireless communication networks.[9]
Dowell has written about job hunting strategies for navigating transitions between different STEM disciplines.[10]
In 2017, Dowell became director of the Communications Technology Laboratory and the NIST Boulder Laboratory.[11] The National Academies have cited the strength and breadth of the NIST Communication Technology Laboratory programs under Dowell's leadership. [12][13] In June 2023, Dowell joined CHIPS for America as director of the CHIPS R&D Metrology Program, where she will expand and advance NIST’s efforts to deliver a robust measurement science foundation for the semiconductor industry. [14] In 2023, Dowell was elected a Fellow of SPIE. [15]