MSE Alumnus Joins External Advisory Board

Neal Magdefrau in the Electron Microscopy Innovative Technologies’ office

By Ben Crnic

MSE alumnus Dr. Neal Magdefrau is the newest addition to the MSE External Advisory Board. The Board consists of eleven industry representatives and serves to assist the department in accomplishing its three-fold mission in research, teaching, and service, and in strengthening its ties to industry and the community.

Magdefrau, a UConn MSE Ph.D. graduate, is a research scientist, engineer and entrepreneur. As a research scientist in the Measurement Science Group at the United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) his work focused on the application of advanced characterization techniques to the solution of materials-related problems. In addition, Magdefrau founded Electron Microscopy Innovative Technologies in 2014, a company that rents out Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEMs) − the first and only such business in the U.S. that gives customers the option to rent these instruments.

Dr. Magdefrau is an award winner as well. In 2012, he was a recipient of the United Technologies Senior Vice President’s Award for outstanding service, given to a small service group by the Chief Technology Officer. Magdefrau holds ten patents, and has more invention disclosures pending. He is also a Division Editor for Volume 10 of the new ASM Handbook, “Materials Characterization”, which was released in early 2020.

“I’m truly honored to be selected as the newest member of UConn’s MSE External Advisory Board. As a graduate of UConn‘s 2nd MSE undergraduate class in 2005, I feel that I’ve been in a position to watch the department grow over the past 15 years,” says Magdefrau.

“Having grown up and spent my entire career in Connecticut, I have a lot of drive to help the MSE department continue to produce top-notch materials scientists. Connecticut is also in the midst of a technology industry revitalization and I believe that the UConn MSE department will be a key to providing top talent now and into the future.”

Published: March 9, 2020

Categories: alumni, external advisory board, news

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