Dr. Karla Del Cid-Ledezma is a proud Mexican-Panamanian-American engineer. She earned her bachelor's degree in Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and recently defended their PhD in Materials Science at the University of Connecticut in the summer of 2025. Currently, she is working as a Process Engineer at Applied Materials.
I've always loved learning, ever since I was a young girl. Whether it was through school or exploring topics on my own, I was eager to soak up as much knowledge as possible. My passion for science and engineering truly sparked when I started watching science fiction (or sci-fi)shows, especially Stargate Atlantis. I wanted to be like a scientist in the show, one that could create experiments and solutions (albeit without the impending science fiction catastrophe). However, not seeing someone like me, someone who was Hispanic or even a woman, represented in those shows drove me to become a role model for others. I threw myself into my high school studies, graduating as salutatorian, opening the door for me to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
After completing my bachelor's degree, I knew I wanted to obtain my PhD. At the University of Connecticut, I delved into Materials Science, focusing my research on tomographic-AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy). This technique allowed me to dig into materials to uncover the various electronic and mechanical properties beneath the surface, much like an archeologist looking to learn more about the human past but for the future of technology at the nanoscale. The materials I studied play a vital role in advancing semiconductors and logic technology, impacting applications such as flash memory and making semiconductors devices more powerful, efficient, and compact.
My interest in these materials naturally led me to the semiconductor industry and eventually to Applied Materials. I interned with them for nine months, from May 2023 to January 2024, and was thrilled to be offered a full-time position once I defended my PhD in June 2024.
My graduate experience was both incredibly enriching and one of the hardest periods of my life. During those four years, I helped establish the graduate chapter for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and volunteered in various programs to help bring STEM to middle and high school students, such as the Sisters in STEM conference. However, I also lost my father in the middle of my graduate program. Him and my mom are my biggest inspirations in life. They sacrificed much for me to have the opportunity to pursue my dreams, whatever they were. My dad's last wish was for me to continue working towards my degree, no matter what happened, and I am proud to say that I was able to finish my PhD in June of 2024.
Even with the pain of losing my dad and being hundreds of miles away from home, I would do it all over again. To me, education is everything, it is something no one can take away from you. I still don't know what I want to be “when I grow up”, I'm always looking to learn, and I think my advice to anyone who wants to get into a STEM field is to be curious. Start looking things up, taking an introductory course here and there in high school or college, and don't be afraid of failing because that is when you can learn the most.
Currently, I work as a Process Engineer at Applied Materials. My daily responsibilities include designing experiments, collecting data, and analyzing data from a variety of process engineering experiments involving ion implantation. I love using both my plasma engineering background and materials science PhD at my job. I am currently creating an employee resource group for Hispanics at our company site in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to help empower and build a community for Hispanics in the field. As a woman in a male-dominated field, it can be intimidating and daunting, but I try my hardest to shake the imposter syndrome voice off and let my voice speak out and contribute to the team. I deserve to be there; everybody deserves a place at that STEM table.
I've always loved learning, ever since I was a young girl. Whether it was through school or exploring topics on my own, I was eager to soak up as much knowledge as possible. My passion for science and engineering truly sparked when I started watching science fiction (or sci-fi)shows, especially Stargate Atlantis. I wanted to be like a scientist in the show, one that could create experiments and solutions (albeit without the impending science fiction catastrophe). However, not seeing someone like me, someone who was Hispanic or even a woman, represented in those shows drove me to become a role model for others. I threw myself into my high school studies, graduating as salutatorian, opening the door for me to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
After completing my bachelor's degree, I knew I wanted to obtain my PhD. At the University of Connecticut, I delved into Materials Science, focusing my research on tomographic-AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy). This technique allowed me to dig into materials to uncover the various electronic and mechanical properties beneath the surface, much like an archeologist looking to learn more about the human past but for the future of technology at the nanoscale. The materials I studied play a vital role in advancing semiconductors and logic technology, impacting applications such as flash memory and making semiconductors devices more powerful, efficient, and compact.
My interest in these materials naturally led me to the semiconductor industry and eventually to Applied Materials. I interned with them for nine months, from May 2023 to January 2024, and was thrilled to be offered a full-time position once I defended my PhD in June 2024.
My graduate experience was both incredibly enriching and one of the hardest periods of my life. During those four years, I helped establish the graduate chapter for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and volunteered in various programs to help bring STEM to middle and high school students, such as the Sisters in STEM conference. However, I also lost my father in the middle of my graduate program. Him and my mom are my biggest inspirations in life. They sacrificed much for me to have the opportunity to pursue my dreams, whatever they were. My dad's last wish was for me to continue working towards my degree, no matter what happened, and I am proud to say that I was able to finish my PhD in June of 2024.
Even with the pain of losing my dad and being hundreds of miles away from home, I would do it all over again. To me, education is everything, it is something no one can take away from you. I still don't know what I want to be “when I grow up”, I'm always looking to learn, and I think my advice to anyone who wants to get into a STEM field is to be curious. Start looking things up, taking an introductory course here and there in high school or college, and don't be afraid of failing because that is when you can learn the most.
Currently, I work as a Process Engineer at Applied Materials. My daily responsibilities include designing experiments, collecting data, and analyzing data from a variety of process engineering experiments involving ion implantation. I love using both my plasma engineering background and materials science PhD at my job. I am currently creating an employee resource group for Hispanics at our company site in Gloucester, Massachusetts, to help empower and build a community for Hispanics in the field. As a woman in a male-dominated field, it can be intimidating and daunting, but I try my hardest to shake the imposter syndrome voice off and let my voice speak out and contribute to the team. I deserve to be there; everybody deserves a place at that STEM table.
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