Abstract: An obsession with magnets at a young age led Dr. Midzor to pursue a life in physics and RF measurement techniques. Her career has spanned developing a new RF microscopy method for nanotechnology, overcoming challenges in electronic warfare protection against adversaries’ radars and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and improving compatibility between Federal and Commercial wireless systems. Melissa will be discussing highlights from these projects, and how her approach of taking career leaps, planning, and pursing her passions led to unique science and career opportunities.
About the speaker: Since 2018, Melissa Midzor has worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado. She is Program Manager for the National Advanced Spectrum and Communications Test Network (NASCTN), a multi-agency organization chartered in 2015 to organize a national network of Federal, academic, and commercial partners that provides testing, modeling and analysis necessary to develop and deploy spectrum-sharing technologies and inform future spectrum policy and regulations. A native Coloradan, Melissa received a B.A. in physics and sociology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Ph.D. in nanotechnology from the California Institute of Technology supervised by Michael Roukes. Following a stint in McKinsey & Company, Melissa joined the U.S. Navy Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), where she served 16 years in roles including Division Director of Electronic Warfare Integrated Laboratories at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, and Assistant to the Secretary of Defense Electronic Warfare and Countermeasures Office at the Pentagon.
Attendance at JQI Career Seminars is limited to students, postdoctoral associates and junior members of staff. Lunch will be provided to participants afterward and the speaker will be available for informal discussions.
This seminar is co-sponsored by the University of Maryland Women in Physics, https://wip.umd.edu/