L'Oréal USA partners with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to manage the Women in Science Fellowship Program's application and peer review process. Each year, the program attracts talented applicants from diverse STEM fields, representing some of the nation's leading academic institutions and laboratories.
Kayla Nguyen received her PhD from Cornell University, where she won the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for her contributions as a co-inventor of the Electron Microscope Pixel Array Detector. While a PhD student, Kayla also gave a TED talk, “Going Beyond Imaging Structures with Electrons.”
Kayla now focuses her time developing new electron microscopy in the Huang lab using techniques with an emphasis on imaging the smallest unit of magnetism - the electron spin. Taking increasingly detailed, higher resolution images of atoms promises to improve drug delivery systems, quicken computer processing, and make fuel cell cars more accessible, to name a few examples.
In addition to her passion for science, Kayla is extremely dedicated to building more pathways for girls and young women in the STEM fields.
“It is important that fellowships like the L’Oréal For Women in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship exist because women scientists need support in order push their research and innovations,” said Dr. Nguyen. “More importantly, in order to inspire the next generation of female scientists, the achievements of women in science need to be recognized and highlighted so that girls and young women can see themselves as future scientists and engineers.”
“I’m thrilled and so proud that Kayla is being recognized by the L’Oréal Fellowship,” said Pinshane Huang, MRL researcher and professor of materials science and engineering. “She is an incredible scientist whose work on developing new ways to probe materials at the atomic scale has the potential to transform how we design next-generation electronics.”