Hassel and Marianne Ledbetter MatSE Colloquium - "Where Curiosity Leads: Science, Leadership, and Building the Foundations of Discovery"

Scientific careers rarely follow a straight path. Driven by curiosity about how materials interact with the world around us, Ruth Cheng, PhD, began her career studying biodegradable polymers and designing medical devices that apply biomedical materials. That same curiosity led her across disciplines, industries, and leadership roles, ultimately becoming President and CEO of ATCC, a global nonprofit organization that provides the trusted biological resources, standards, and expertise that underpin life science research worldwide. 

In this lecture, Ruth will share how scientific training in materials science shaped her approach to solving problems, embracing new opportunities, and building high-performing organizations. She will discuss ATCC's mission to enable reproducible, high-quality science, and the people, practices, and trusted biological resources that make it possible. She’ll share how curiosity, adaptability, and a commitment to scientific rigor can create opportunities and why the future of discovery depends not only on breakthrough ideas, but also on the strong foundations that allow science to thrive.