About the William D. Nix Lecture Series

About the Lecture
 

The Nix Lecture is named in honor of William D. Nix, NAS, NAE, professor emeritus of materials science, and one of the founders of our department in its current form. The Inaugural William D. Nix Lecture in Materials Science took place on October 31, 2022.

The lecture aims to bring together our community of students, faculty, alums, and other professionals passionate about the positive impact our discipline can have in addressing humanity’s most pressing challenges, such as developing safe energy, a clean environment, and a healthy life.

The distinguished speaker for the Inaugural Lecture was M. Stanley Whittingham, a chemistry and materials science and engineering professor at Binghamton University, State University of New York, and 2019 Chemistry Nobel Laureate.

Most recently, the keynote speaker for the 2025 William D. Nix Lecture was Carolyn Bertozzi, Stanford Professor of Chemistry and 2022 Nobel laureate. The 2025 event also also featured a panel of MSE alumni on entrepreneurship and innovation outside academia.

The previous 2024 William D. Nix Lecture boasted keynote speakers Steven Chu (William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics at Stanford University) and Walden Rhines (President and CEO, Cornami, Inc.).