Mildred Dresselhaus

Mildred Dresselhaus, known as the “queen of carbon science”, was the first female Institute Professor and professor emerita of physics and electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is best known for her work on graphite, graphite intercalation compounds, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and low-dimensional thermoelectrics. Her research helped develop technology based on thin graphite which allows electronics to be ubiquitous, including in clothing. She has won numerous awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, the Enrico Fermi Award and the Vannevar Bush Award. She was also the first female president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, spending a great deal of time and energy supporting efforts to promote increased participation of women in physics