Career Fair attracts companies from across industries
Representatives from 14 companies turned out for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE)’s third annual Career Fair on October 22—despite an uncertain economy and a tightening labor market.
Organizations hailed from a wide range of industries, from manufacturing and pharmaceuticals to aerospace and law, showing that demand for materials science and engineering knowledge and expertise spans many fields, even in a slow hiring climate.
“Recruiters were excited to visit—regardless of whether they were hiring right now. They still want to get in front of our students and talk about what they do, maybe for an internship—or for a job somewhere down the line,” said Becky Shepardson, undergraduate administrator at DMSE.
About 120 MIT students and postdocs visited the fair, held for the second time in the Schwarzman College of Computing. In 2024, 15 organizations set up booths at the fair.
This year, some recruiters were familiar to DMSE students and postdocs—established corporations like Corning, known for Gorilla Glass and fiber optics; global materials giant Saint-Gobain; and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Others represented startups including Lila Sciences, building an AI-driven “superintelligence platform,” and NeuroBionics, a bioelectronic implant company.
Some came from seemingly far-flung industries, including law firm Foley & Lardner LLP and the Massachusetts Water Authority.
Many recruiters were repeat visitors. “There were a lot of familiar faces—I mean, everybody knows Hannah,” said attendee Bella Torres, a senior in DMSE, referring to alum Hannah von Oldenburg ’17, lead materials engineer at SpaceX, who also recruited at the fair in 2024. Torres said she was impressed by the recruiters’ enthusiasm. “It was clear everyone who was there wanted to be there.”
Students in DMSE’s Society of Undergraduate Materials Scientists (SUMS) organized supplementary events, including interview prep sessions, to help students practice discussing their skills and career goals, and a panel with recruiters from the fair. SpaceX, represented by von Oldenburg, participated alongside MIT-founded companies Formlabs and Form Energy.
“Next year, we’ll build on this momentum,” said Gabe Kies, academic programs assistant at DMSE and the fair’s main organizer. “We’re planning coffee chats and other informal events to help connect students with recruiters and explore career paths.”
