Celebrating a Milestone For the University Program in Materials Science and Engineering

This summer, Adrienne Stiff-Roberts, the Jeffrey N. Vinik Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will step down as the director of graduate studies (DGS) of the University Program in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). A faculty member for 20 years at Duke, she’s credited with advancing efforts in materials science and electrical engineering, as well as in the development of the graduate program.

What makes it unique is its multidisciplinary focus—its proximity to Duke’s School of Medicine, the Nicholas School of the Environment, and the Sanford School of Public Policy allows students to navigate an academic path all their own.

Started in 2018, the program’s collaboration with the Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMiF) and Duke’s Materials Initiative (DMI) are also integral features; its focus on major areas in the field include soft matter, biomaterials, computational discoveries and others.

While first working on establishing a graduate program and a robust curriculum with faculty from Trinity and Pratt in 2016, Stiff-Roberts ultimately took the lead navigating the university’s approval process and eventually became the DGS. “I would say that working with and understanding the experiences of master’s students on campus has had the biggest impact on me in this role,” she shared.

“Just working with them firsthand and seeing the ambition that they have, as well as how much excitement they have, made me more attuned to that population of students,” Stiff-Roberts said. During her time as Duke’s Presidential Fellow, she organized a “Masters Impact Challenge” weekend that cultivated a space for teams of graduate students to problem solve in unique ways.

It was during those workshops that she noticed just how impactful and important community-building was for her engineering students. “They don’t have a lot of opportunities to engage in extra- or co-curricular activities that other students can. And that is an important part of the student experience,” Stiff-Roberts said at the time.

This informs one of her proudest achievements: the successful implementation of a cohort-based structure, wherein enrolled students start at the same time and complete courses together. The approach fostered a stronger sense of community among them, allowing cohorts to share a common curriculum, collaborate and present their work in a supportive environment.

“Together with the faculty members in 2016, we decided on building this specific structure because many of [the students] mentioned how important it was that they had a sense of belonging,” she explained.  

As she stepped down from the role, she expressed excitement in seeing her colleague Patrick Charbonneau, professor of chemistry, take on the appointment. “I think he’s going to be a great DGS,” she said. “He has been part of the university program in MSE since its inception, contributing to its curriculum as an integral part of the group from the very beginning.”

To the students and faculty she has worked with along the way, Stiff-Roberts extended an especially grateful thank you. “We are growing, and for that I thank the students and faculty. We still have goals and aspirations we’re trying to meet, but we’re on the right trajectory because you all helped make that come to fruition. Our community of faculty, students, advisors and researchers being small but mighty helped make this program a success.”