Webinar Description
Hosted by: The American Ceramic Society
Monday, June 22, 2026, from 12–1 p.m. Eastern Time
This June 2026 webinar, moderated by ACerS Presdient Mario Affatigato, will feature four panelists across industries as they discuss the current state of science funding opportunities in the U.S., share their personal experiences, and provide insight on how researchers can pursue funding for their projects moving forward.
Registration
- ACerS member: Free
- Non-member: $30
- Student non-member: $15
Register for the Resilience of US Research Webinar here
Please contact Amanda Engen at aengen@ceramics.org for questions.
Speaker Biographies
Moderator: ACerS President 2025–26, Mario Affatigato
Mario Affatigato, FACerS
Prof. Affatigato holds the Fran Allison and Francis Halpin Professorship at Coe College, and is the editor in chief of the International Journal of Applied Glass Science. He earned his undergraduate degree from Coe College and his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.
Prof. Affatigato is a past recipient of the APS Prize for Research at an Undergraduate Institution, a PECASE award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as other research grants from industry, NSF and the Research Corporation in support of his work. He is a fellow of the American Ceramic Society and the UK Society of Glass Technology, and a Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar.
Panelists: John Ballato, Geoff Brennecka, Gabrielle Gaustad, and Kathleen Richardson
John Ballato, Clemson University
Ballato holds the J. E. Sirrine Endowed Chair in Optical Fiber and is a professor of materials science and engineering. He is an associate editor of the Journal of the American Ceramic Society, topical editor for Optics Letters, and is an active participant on the “Optoelectronic Glasses” technical committee for the International Commission on Glass. Ballato earned a B.S. in ceramic science and engineering and a Ph.D. in ceramic and materials engineering from Rutgers University.
Ballato has published more than 300 archival scientific papers, holds 33 U.S. and foreign patents, has given in excess of 150 invited lectures/colloquia, and has co-organized over 75 national and international conferences and symposia. Ballato has been a Principal Investigator (PI) on more than $46 million worth of sponsored programs, gifts, and contracts.
Geoff Brennecka, Colorado School of Mines
Brennecka is the George S. Ansell Chair of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and metallurgical and materials engineering department head at Colorado School of Mines. Brennecka holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and B.S. and M.S. degrees in ceramic engineering from University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology).
Before joining Mines, he was on staff at Sandia National Laboratories, working in the electronic, optical and nanostructured materials department. He has held several leadership positions in ACerS, including serving on the board of directors for both ACerS and the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation, as editor of Journal of the American Ceramic Society, and chair of the ACerS Electronics Division.
Gabrielle Gaustad, Alfred University
Gaustad is the dean of the Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University as well as the vice president for statutory affairs of the New York State College of Ceramics. For ten years prior, she was an associate professor in the Golisano Institute for Sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Gaustad earned a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. in ceramic engineering from Alfred University.
Gaustad has managed over $3.5M in externally sponsored research as PI and an additional $3M as co-PI or SP. She has a personal passion for attracting under-represented students to the engineering field as well as curricular innovation.
Kathleen Richardson, University of Central Florida, FACerS
Kathleen A. Richardson is the UCF Trustee Chair, Pegasus Professor of Optics and Materials Science and Engineering and Florida Photonics Center of Excellence (FPCE) Professor at CREOL/College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida, where she runs the Glass Processing and Characterization Laboratory. She earned her B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in ceramics and glass science and engineering from Alfred University.
A fellow of multiple optics (Optica, SPIE), glass (Society of Glass Technology, SGT) and ceramic (American (ACerS) and European (ECerS) Ceramic Society) professional organizations, Richardson has authored more than 310 peer-reviewed publications, numerous proceedings and book chapters, and hosts a broad portfolio of IP related to these advances.
