Marla Dowell

Last updated
Marla Lorraine Dowell
Marla L. Dowell at NIST (cropped).jpg
Dowell, NIST photograph, 2022
Born1965 (age 5758)
Alma mater University of Michigan
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Colorado Boulder
Scientific career
InstitutionsCommunications 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.

Contents

Early life and education

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]

Research and career

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]

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Marla Dowell | Women in Optics | SPIE". spie.org. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  2. Marilyn Marks (2002-09-06). "Physicist David Wilkinson, explorer of Big Bang afterglow, dies". Princeton University. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  3. marla.dowell@nist.gov (2019-07-30). "Marla L. Dowell". NIST. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  4. "June Matthews PhD '67 » MIT Physics". MIT Physics. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  5. Dowell, Marla L. (Marla Lorraine) (1994). Pion single charge exchange in three body nuclei at intermediate energies (Thesis thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. hdl:1721.1/26856.
  6. rebecca.jacobson@nist.gov (2021-03-18). "NIST Builds 'Sisters in STEM' With YWCA Code Jam". NIST. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  7. 1 2 marla.dowell@nist.gov (2013-10-29). "Marla Dowell Receives 2012 Allen V. Astin Award". NIST. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  8. "NIST Unscripted - Marla Dowell". NIST. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  9. Martin, Nichols (2021-04-28). "NIST Takes Part in Multi-Agency Effort to Support Communications Tech Research; Marla Dowell Quoted". executivegov.com. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  10. Dowell, Marla (1995-10-01). "Switching Fields in Physics: Job Hunting Strategies" (PDF). American Physical Society. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
  11. "Marla Dowell". NIST. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  12. An Assessment of the Communications Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology: Fiscal Year 2019. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. doi:10.17226/25602. ISBN   978-0-309-49895-1. S2CID   243022258 . Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  13. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering (2023-01-30). 2022 Assessment of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Communications Technology Laboratory. ISBN   978-0-309-69593-0.
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  20. "UD Library: Senator Ted Kaufman — Senator for Delaware: Newsroom - Great Feds - Dr. Marla Dowell". green.lib.udel.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  21. "Women in Optics Calendar". spie.org. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  22. "NIST's Steering Group for Equity in Career Advancement (SGECA) Receives OSA Award". nist.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  23. "SPIE Fellows". spie.org. Retrieved 2023-06-26.