David J. Parrillo, Global Research and Development Director, Packaging and Specialty Plastics for The Dow Chemical Company, has accepted a one-year appointment to the MRS Board of Directors and will serve on the MRS Finance Committee. Parrillo has 20 years of experience in chemical engineering, application development, and technology commercialization. Before he joined Dow in 2007, he held positions at General Electric and Air Products and Chemicals.

Parrillo acted as a Meeting Chair for the 2014 MRS Spring Meeting and was a featured speaker at both the 2010 and 2011 MRS Technology Innovation Forums. Along with his MRS experience, Parrillo’s executive leadership and career experience in R&D and commercialization of new technologies will provide a unique and important perspective to Board discussions.

The MRS Board of Directors is the governing body of the Materials Research Society and is responsible for setting the strategic direction of major Society activities.

MRS is a growing, vibrant, international organization of over 16,000 materials researchers from academia, industry and government, and a recognized leader in promoting the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research to improve the quality of life. MRS members are engaged and enthusiastic professionals hailing from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and engineering—the full spectrum of materials research.  In MRS they find an environment for collaboration and open exchange of ideas across all scientific disciplines.

Headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania (USA), MRS membership now spans over 80 countries, with more than 45 percent of members residing outside the United States. In addition to its communications and publications portfolio, MRS organizes high-quality scientific meetings, attracting over 13,000 attendees annually and facilitating interactions among a wide range of experts from the cutting edge of the global materials community. MRS is also a recognized leader in education outreach and advocacy for scientific research.