Kathryn L. Beers (Fed)

Dr. Kathryn Beers is the Director of the Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).  MML, one of NIST’s six research laboratories, conducts measurement science research in the chemical, biological and material sciences and contributes technical expertise to the development of standards. MML has more than 800 staff members and visiting scientists performing fundamental and applied research to advance measurement science in ways that promote innovation, protect health and safety, and improve our quality of life.

Kate joined NIST as a National Academies/National Research Council (NRC) postdoctoral fellow in the Polymers Division in the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory.  She has served as a bench scientist and project leader, directed the Combinatorial Methods Center, and led staff and programs as Group Leader and Deputy Division Chief.  In her most recent role, prior to becoming MML Director, she served as the Circular Economy Program Director.

In addition to these roles inside NIST, Kate has actively contributed to both internal and external scientific communities. Internally, she served in various committees, including chairing the Hazards and Safety Committees within the Polymers Division and serving as a liaison between the Research Advisory Committee and the People Council. She has also held influential roles externally such as Assistant Director for Physical Sciences and Engineering at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Chair of the Polymer Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society, and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute.  Kate maintains active membership in national scientific organizations such as the Materials Research Society, Sigma Xi, and the American Chemical Society (ACS). 

Recently, she has served on many interagency working groups, including those on plastic waste, circular economy, and plastic pollution. She has served as a co-chair of the Sustainable Chemistry Strategy Team for the National Science and Technology Council in OSTP for the last three years.

Her exceptional contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Arthur S. Flemming Award for Public Service, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the Department of Commerce Silver Medal, and the Mark Scholar Award from the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry. She is also an ACS Fellow. Kate earned a Master’s degree in Polymer Science and a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry, both from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Research Interests

The Circular Economy, Circular Polymers, Sustainable Materials, Degradable and Renewable Polymeric Materials, Precision Macromolecular Architecture, Microreactors and Microfluidics, Advances in Polymer Synthesis and Reaction Monitoring, Macromolecular Separations, Integrated and High Throughput Measurements of Polymeric Materials

Awards and Honors

• Alumni Achievement Award, Carnegie Mellon University
• Arthur S. Flemming Award
• Fellow, American Chemical Society
• Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
• Department of Commerce Science and Technology Policy (ComSci) Fellow
• Department of Commerce Silver Medal
• National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Visiting Research Fellowship, University of Ulm, Germany
• Mellon College of Science Fellowship

Memberships & Activities

• Committee of Visitors, National Science Foundation Division of Materials Research, 2015, 2019 
• Member, American Chemical Society, 1993-present
  • Advisory Board, ACS Green Chemistry Institute (GCI), 2020-2024
  • ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry (POLY), 2014 Chair
  • ACS POLY Councilor, 2019-2024
• Editorial Advisory Board, ACS MacroLetters
• Former Associate Editor, Green Materials
• Executive Committee, Center for Hierarchical Materials Design (CHiMaD), 2014-2019
• Member, Materials Research Society, 2001-present
• Member, Sigma Xi, 2004-present