Professor Beth Stadler receives MRS Woody White Service Award

Professor Bethanie Stadler (CSE Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Erwin A. Kelen Professor in Electrical Engineering) is the recipient of the 2025 MRS Woody White Service Award. Presented by the Materials Research Society (MRS), the award is in recognition of her service to the Society and her profession.

Stadler started serving the Society while a graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her first committee was the Membership Committee, which then MRS President Slade Cargill recommended she join to represent students. Subsequently, as a postdoctoral researcher, she created and directed the Undergraduate Materials Research Initiative (UMRI), a program that funds research and undergraduate travel to MRS meetings for presentations. She also helped to launch the MRS Strange Matter science museum traveling exhibit (read more details about the traveling exhibit in the MRS Bulletin article), and wrote the first related proposal to the MRS Board of Directors (BoD).

After organizing several symposia and serving as an MRS Meeting Chair in fall 2004, Stadler was elected to the MRS Board of Directors (BoD) in 2005, where she served on all three of the BoD subcommittees: Planning (chair), Operations (co-chair), and Governance. In these roles, she helped grow global membership, improve financial structures, and oversight of volunteer activities. When her three-year term as Director ended, Stadler was elected to serve as an officer (Secretary) of the Society from 2008 to 2010 during which time she implemented a variety of strategic initiatives as part of the Executive Committee. From 2012 to present, Stadler has served on operating committees that support the meetings program development.

Stadler's service to the MRS showcases several points of pride. These include a record number (almost 6000) attendees at her fall 2004 meeting, raising funds with co-chairs for 100 high school teachers to both attend the meeting and visit Strange Matter during its tenure at the Boston Museum of Science. During her time as chair of the Program Development Subcommittee, successful restructuring of programming minimized symposium overlap, and she led the rapid response to programming during the COVID pandemic. The restructuring has allowed MRS to be one of the few global societies to surpass pre-pandemic COVID attendance in recent meetings.

Stadler’s research focuses primarily on the integration of novel optical and magnetic materials with standard platforms. She leads a research team that works on the integration of magneto-optical garnets and nanostructured magneto-photonic crystals within photonic integrated circuits (PICs) in the photonics area. In magnetics, her team works on simulations and synthesis of magnetic nanowires (MNW) in high frequency circuits and in biological applications, such as heating and in situ barcoding. Over the past year, Stadler’s research, conducted in collaboration with Rhonda Franklin (McKnight Presidential Endowed Professor and IEM Abbot Professor of Innovative Education), has resulted in five patents. The work was supported by several sources including the National Science Foundation, the University of Minnesota, and the Semiconductor Research Corporation. 

Stadler’s scientific work has been consequential not only in her areas of expertise, but also in a broad way. She has made significant contributions to the development of new knowledge, training of researchers for industry, and creation of innovations enabling industry and government agencies, while also providing opportunities for licensing. 

The Materials Research Society’s MRS Woody White Service Award recognizes the contributions of “ individuals who have embodied the Materials Research Society’s Mission, Vision and Values for an egalitarian interdisciplinary community advancing materials science and technology to improve the quality of life.” The Award honors both effective and lasting service contributions, as well as special projects and programs that are of positive impact to the Society. Learn more about the award.

In addition to the Service Award, Professor Bethanie Stadler is also a Fellow of the Society.