Materials Discovery in the Era of Scientific Super Intelligence
The materials challenge we're facing today, from advanced logic and memory to next-gen packaging, need solutions faster than ever before. At the same time, AI systems are evolving beyond pattern recognition to become active collaborators in scientific discovery. In this talk, I'll share how AI is starting to reshape the entire materials discovery process: helping us form better hypotheses from massive datasets, pointing us toward the right experiments, making simulations larger and faster, and connecting automated labs into reproducible workflows. Through concrete examples and lessons from the field, we'll explore what this means for organizations trying to innovate faster while keeping human insight and accountability at the center of the work.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Katherine Hutchison is Vice President and General Manager of the Metallics business within the Thin Films division at EMD Electronics, the North American electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. In this role, she leads the overall strategy, product portfolio, global applications, and business operations for the Metallics segment, which provides critical materials used in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Her responsibilities include setting the long-term vision and strategy, driving capital investments, managing profit and loss (P&L), and ensuring alignment with key customer roadmaps and industry technology inflection points.
With over two decades of both equipment and materials experience in the Semiconductor sector, Katherine has held leadership positions spanning corporate strategy, business development, and product management. Prior to joining EMD Electronics, she served as Director of Strategic Marketing at Versum Materials and previously held roles at Air Products and BOC Edwards focused on product marketing and commercial strategy.
Katherine holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a B.A. in Chemistry from Cornell University. She was an active member of SEMI, where she Chaired the Electronic Materials Group and the Strategic Materials Conference organizing committee, helping to shape collaborative efforts across the semiconductor supply chain.
Katherine’s career has been defined by her ability to bridge deep technical knowledge with forward-looking strategy—driving innovation, shaping portfolio direction, and supporting sustainable growth in one of the most dynamic global industries.