Dr. Kathleen Cissel is a Principal Investigator in the Microelectronics and Systems Assurance Lab at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, working for Battelle Memorial Institute. She has previously worked for MacAulay-Brown, Inc and UES, Inc, both at Wright- Patterson AFB. Kathleen received her Bachelor of Science in Physics and Classical Civilizations from the University of Mary Washington and a Masters in Engineering Physics and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering both from the University of Virginia.

Kathleen first became involved with ACerS while working on her PhD studying the oxidation behavior of ZrB 2 -SiC, under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth Opila. She was an active member in and mentor for the ACerS President’s Council of Student Advisors. She has served as the Co-Chair of the Young Professionals Network and served on both the Education and Professional Development Council and the Publications Committee. In addition, Kathleen has assisted in the organization of numerous symposiums and activities for students and young professionals at ICACC and MS&T.

She is currently the president of the Keramos National Board, which she joined in 2016, and the president of the Microscopy Society of the Ohio River Valley, which she joined in 2017. While her professional work has moved away from ceramics and into microscopy, Kathleen is thrilled to continue being involved with both Keramos and ACerS.