When Katy Jinkins graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville with a degree in engineering physics and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, she was only 19, a feat that merited coverage in the local newspaper. Now, Jinkins’ age is once again headline news: Forbes named the UW-Madison grad (PhDMS&E ’20) to its 2025 30 Under 30 list in the manufacturing and industry category. Jinkins is co-founder of Middleton, Wisconsin-based spinoff company SixLine Semiconductor, which is commercializing methods for aligning carbon nanotubes that she developed as part of her PhD.
“It’s been a steep learning curve, obviously, going from being a scientist to being more entrepreneurial-focused,” says Jinkins, who attended the Morgridge Entrepreneurial Boot Camp at UW-Madison and took advantage of other campus resources to prepare herself for the business side of science. “But I’m really enjoying a lot of the aspects. I think it’s been a great experience.”
During her undergrad, Jinkins says she had an opportunity to work with graphene, a 2D or “quantum” material composed of a layer of carbon atoms just one atom thick. When shrunk to these dimensions, the material takes on impressive qualities, including high thermal and electrical conductivity as well as super strength.
Read the full story here: https://engineering.wisc.edu/news/forbes-30-under-30-honoree-is-bringing-uw-madison-breakthrough-to-semiconductor-industry/