12 Facts About Marla Dowell

Marla Lorraine Dowell was born on 1965 and is an American physicist who is Director of the CHIPS Metrology Program and NIST Boulder Laboratory.

Marla Dowell's father is an engineer and her step-father was a physicist.

Marla Dowell was an undergraduate in physics at the University of Michigan.

Marla Dowell was encouraged by her physics professors to pursue a career in research.

Marla Dowell earned a Master of Business Administration at the University of Colorado Boulder.

At National Institute of Standards and Technology, Marla Dowell was responsible for the NIST laser metrology program.

At the start, the group focused on calibration, but under her leadership, Marla Dowell developed a research program in laser metrology for industrial applications.

Marla Dowell has leveraged partnerships with other federal agencies to expand NIST research activities in wireless communication networks.

Marla Dowell has written about job hunting strategies for navigating transitions between different STEM disciplines.

In 2017, Marla Dowell became director of the Communications Technology Laboratory and the NIST Boulder Laboratory.

In June 2023, Marla Dowell joined CHIPS for America as director of the CHIPS Metrology Program, where she will expand and advance NIST's efforts to deliver a robust measurement science foundation for the semiconductor industry.

In 2023, Marla Dowell was recognized by the President of the United States as a Distinguished Executive for her extraordinary and lasting contributions to scientific research and achievements as a leader in the NIST Community.