Marla Dowell Named Executive Director of EDGE Consortium

Marla Dowell, the incoming executive director of the Education for Diversification and Growth in Engineering (EDGE) Consortium.

Led by Dartmouth and Indiana University, the EDGE Consortium is a coalition of universities partnering with government and the business sector to grow the American semiconductor industry, which makes the essential components of most modern electronic devices. 

"Expanding the semiconductor workforce—and the pipeline of skilled workers in STEM fields more broadly—is a matter of vital national and economic security," says President Sian Leah Beilock, who co-founded the consortium in 2023 with the aim of taking advantage of the 2022 federal CHIPS and Science Act, which provides funding to increase the pipeline of engineers entering the semiconductor industry. President Beilock leads the initiative with Indiana University President Pamela Whitten.

"The goal of the EDGE Consortium is to build a workforce that is adaptable, resilient, and capable of solving the complex, interconnected problems of the future," Beilock says. "Dr. Dowell understands that this requires developing the full breadth of talent available, and she brings an extensive network bridging research and industry, as well as the deep experience of building effective partnerships across academic, industrial, and government sectors."

"Dr. Dowell is both a scientist and a proven leader," says President Whitten. "She has extensive experience helping organizations of all sizes refine their strategic north star and maximize their potential. As the EDGE Consortium grows beyond its startup phase, she is the leader we need to build on our foundation and develop a strategic direction that will let us scale our impact."

Since its launch in 2023, the consortium has convened a summit in Washington, DC, with lawmakers and industry leaders and has developed innovative programming, such as the EDGE Scholars program, which gives college students hands-on opportunities to visit fabrication facilities and build industry connections; EDGE Academy, which is developing pedagogical methods to improve student retention in the sciences; CHIP Kids, a web series for middle-schoolers; and EDGE Works, which provides training for jobs in the semiconductor industry that don’t require a college degree.

As EDGE's executive director, Dowell will work with EDGE Program Director Lesley Nesbitt and the consortium's member institutions to lead a strategic planning process, deepen networks with federal and industry partners, and expand programming for students at all levels. 

In addition, Dowell, who will be based in Boulder, Colo., will hold an appointment as a visiting professor at Thayer School of Engineering, where she hopes to engage Dartmouth students through mentorship and internship programs. 

For Dowell, who majored in physics at the University of Michigan and went on to earn a PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Colorado Boulder, the mission of the EDGE Consortium is personal.

"As a student, I often felt blocked by the fear of making mistakes. But my parents, who were first-generation college graduates from rural communities, pushed me to keep going despite the tough classes," she says. "What excites me most about joining the EDGE Consortium is the chance to foster connections across member institutions and industries. I'm eager to help create environments where students feel empowered to take risks, learn from their mistakes, and continue pushing the boundaries of technology to support a thriving US semiconductor industry."

Regarding her role with EDGE, she says, "The US semiconductor industry needs STEM talent across all disciplines. Solving problems on the manufacturing floor is both exciting and challenging, often requiring perseverance. Time constraints and limited resources are common, which demands creative problem-solving and the ability to collaborate with co-workers across various fields. My vision is to help create a culture where every student, regardless of background, feels confident in their ability to succeed. It's about building an ecosystem where students are supported and empowered to tackle challenges head-on, knowing they have the resources, mentorship, and community needed to thrive in these dynamic environments."

As director of the CHIPS Metrology Program, Dowell has expanded efforts to deliver a robust measurement science foundation for the semiconductor industry leveraging NIST's foundational research capabilities, standards development contributions, and stakeholder engagement practices to address the highest measurement challenges identified across industry, academia, and government agencies.

Dowell also served as director of the NIST Boulder Laboratory. In this role, she expanded research opportunities for early career scientists and engineers through partnerships with academic institutions. Previously, she was chief of the applied physics division and director of the NIST Communications Technology Laboratory, which leads federal research in advanced communications standards and measurements.

Dowell's first experience of bridging research and industry came soon after she graduated from MIT, when she took a job as a physicist and project leader with NIST's Sources and Detectors Group and had the opportunity to present her work at a professional conference. 

"I walked into a huge auditorium filled with people from the semiconductor industry and had the opportunity to help them solve some of their manufacturing problems," she says. "I can't describe the satisfaction of knowing that something I was working on could have such a broad impact and help so many people. At EDGE, we want to build environments where students and professionals can experience that same sense of impact and fulfillment—where they can see how their work contributes to solving real-world problems."

Dowell is a fellow of SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics; a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society. For her work fostering collaborations and leading high-performance research organizations, she has received NIST's Allen V. Astin Award, the Arthur S. Flemming Award from George Washington University, and the Presidential Rank Award as a Distinguished Executive granted by the president of the United States. 

In addition to Dartmouth and IU, founding members of EDGE include Brown University, University of California-Berkeley, University of Rochester, the University of Washington, and the Olin College of Engineering.