Panelist Biographies
August Bosse, Ph.D.
AUGUST W. BOSSE is currently the Senior Principal Scientist, Hydrocarbon and Materials Science, at ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company. While at ExxonMobil, Dr. Bosse has had a range of positions, including New Hydrocarbon Products Program Leader (Portfolio Manager), Section Head of Polymer Science and Hydrocarbon Science, and various research team lead positions. Before coming to ExxonMobil, he was a postdoc, a National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associate, and a member of the permanent staff in the Polymer Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Dr. Bosse's research has focused on the theory and simulation of block copolymer phase behavior to enable critical dimension metrology, polyolefin crystallization, polymer blends, polymer interfaces, composites, and random copolymers. His primary research interests are rooted in statistical field theories of heterogeneous systems, especially soft materials. Dr. Bosse received a B.S. in physics from the University of California, Davis, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Kimberly A. Chaffin, P.E., Ph.D.
Kim Chaffin is a Vice President, Bakken Fellow and Technical Fellow in the Global Technology and Innovation group at Medtronic, Inc. Kim has responsibility for leading research projects to advance new technologies across all businesses. Kim is a recognized expert in material thermodynamics and characterization, especially as it relates to structure-property relationships that govern long-term stability and performance. Kim joined Medtronic in 1999 and holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota (Advisor: Frank S. Bates) and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Minnesota. She is an inventor on 20 issued patents and an author on many peer-reviewed publications. In late 2016, Kim returned to Minneapolis after a four-year assignment in Switzerland. Kim’s husband, Paul, is the President of Molex’s Medical and Pharmaceutical Solutions business headquartered in Hudson, WI. Together they have two children, Cole, a Mechanical Engineer at Boston Scientific and Julia, a junior in Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Ken Kearns, Ph.D.
Ken Kearns is a Senior Research Scientist at Dow in Core R&D Analytical Sciences in Midland, MI. Ken joined Dow in 2012 and over the course of his career, has worked on a diverse set of problems. Prior to joining Dow, he was an assistant professor at Saginaw Valley State University and an NRC post-doc fellow at NIST. He obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the mentorship of Mark D Ediger. Currently, he is a technical leader within the Macromolecular Characterization Group in Analytical, overseeing the strategy and implementation of Dow’s efforts to better characterize polyolefins and derive value from these measurement science efforts. Externally, Ken partners with several universities, government agencies, and companies on various polymer science related problems. He also serves as a member of the Industrial Advisory Board for the Division of Polymer Physics and is the technical chair of the 2025 North American Thermal Analysis Society (NATAS) meeting. Ken was recently the recipient of the Mettler Toledo Award from NATAS and the Excellence in Science Award at Dow.
Phil Rauscher, Ph.D.
Phil Rauscher is a Research Scientist in the Polymer Physics group at Syensqo (formerly Solvay). He obtained his B.S. in Physics and Chemistry from Emory University in 2013 before working as a software consultant in the Cloud Services group at IBM. In 2016, he joined the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago as a graduate student. After completing his Ph.D. in 2020, he moved into a postdoctoral position until 2021, when he joined the Specialty Polymers business unit at Solvay (now Syensqo) as a Polymer Physicist. His research is centered on applying polymer and soft matter physics to industrial and technological challenges, with an emphasis on closely tying theory, simulation, and machine learning with experimental investigations.
Elayne Thomas, Ph.D.
Elayne Thomas is a Senior Research Engineer at Saint-Gobain Research North America. She has a Ph.D. in Materials from UC Santa Barbara, where she studied the structure-property relationships of semi-conducting polymers for thin film devices. After her Ph.D., Elayne completed a postdoc at UMass Amherst with Al Crosby and Ryan Hayward, where she worked on electro-adhesion using ion-conducting elastomeric networks. Within Saint-Gobain, Elayne has worked on a variety of projects, ranging from test method development for new adhesive tapes, developing debondable adhesives for EV batteries, and incorporating sustainable content into medical devices. Outside of work, Elayne enjoys spending time with her pets and playing squash.