Dr. Jacquelynn (Jackie) Garofano began her career as a research scientist at United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) in 2011. Leveraging her materials engineering expertise, she solved technical challenges, provided failure investigation, and developed innovative technologies for the company’s aerospace and building industries. At UTRC, she was a driving force behind utilization of combinatorial high throughput methodology to rapidly execute and assess multivariable design of experiments, focusing on materials informatics approaches, for advanced materials development (including additive manufacturing) and corrosion mitigation.
Jackie has 11 technical publications to her credit, including the Applied Physics Letters, the Journal of Materials Science, the Journal of the American Ceramic Society, and Additive Manufacturing, and holds three U.S. patents. She has collaborated with CCAT as a materials scientist on two research programs over her academic and professional career. The first focused on percussion laser drilling of Ni-based superalloys, sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (2006-09); and the second on the optimization of metal powder additive manufacturing processes on an America Makes program in partnership with Optomec (2014-17).
Garofano has been named one of Connecticut’s Women of Innovation® twice. First, as the recipient of the Collegian Innovation and Leadership Award in 2011 and, most recently, as a finalist in the Large Business Innovation and Leadership category for 2020. She was also named to the “40 Under 40” lists compiled by Connecticut Magazine (2013) and Hartford Business Journal (2015), for professional excellence and leadership. She was recognized as a 2018 The Future is NOW awardee by the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund for her work to advance women and girls in STEM. Most recently, she’s been named the recipient of the 2020 Petit Family Foundation Women in Science Leadership Award and the 2020 Spark Award for mentorship by the Society of Women Engineers.
Garofano earned her bachelor’s in physics with honors from Southern Connecticut State University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from the University of Connecticut.