Principal Research Scientist and Research Manager at IBM Research where she leads the accelerated materials discovery group. Dr. Schmidt's team develops AI solutions to help scientific experts discover and invent faster. Before joining IBM, Dr. Schmidt was a Research Scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and a Research Manager at BASF, Germany. Dr. Schmidt holds a PhD in polymer physics from the University of Bayreuth, Germany. She began her career as a Post-doctoral Researcher at UCSB. Dr. Schmidt is also the vice-chair of IBM's physical science council, supporting high-risk, high-reward exploratory research. Her extensive experience and leadership make her a respected figure among enterprise leaders and industry experts in the physical industrial world.