Special Seminar

November 05, 2025

4:00 p.m. ET

Doherty A303

"What Materials Research Looks Like At Apple"

Join us as CMU alumna Carolyn Duran (BS '92) shares her perspectives from her career and provides insight into current materials research at Apple.

Carolyn Duran, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Product Analysis and Compliance Engineering, Apple, Inc.

Carolyn currently leads a global team of ~700 technologists focused on product analysis and compliance engineering for Apple’s hardware products. Her scope includes wireless regulatory and compliance, field design cellular and connectivity engineering, environmental technologies, product safety, electromagnetic compatibility, and advanced materials characterization and failure analysis.

Prior to joining Apple in 2023, Carolyn spent 25 years at Intel Corporation holding leadership positions across the company including technology development, memory and IO technologies, and supply chain. Within those roles, Carolyn led advanced process and materials research; drove pathfinding architecture, validation and standards development for DRAM memory and high-speed IO; and oversaw Intel’s supply chain sustainability efforts including chemical regulations and policy, human rights, labor and ethics practices, and the company’s responsible minerals program.

She was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2024. In addition, Carolyn served as the 2022 President of the Materials Research Society and is an adjunct professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. She is an active member of both the Dean’s Advocacy Council for the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and the Materials Science and Engineering Advisory Board at Northwestern University. She received her bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and her Ph.D. in the same field from Northwestern University.

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