Dr. Kjersta Larson-Smith is a Technical Lead Engineer at Boeing Research & Technology Chemical Technology with expertise in coatings & interface science, nanotechnology and colloidal science. In her current role, she is leading a team to create the next generation paint production system that improves safety, reduces manufacturing flow time, reduces environmental impact and improves aircraft performance. Throughout her career she has focused on developing a range of new coating technologies, such as transparent coatings for passenger/flight-deck windows, co-cure coatings for composites, fast cure coatings, selectively strippable coatings and inkjet printed liveries. She has been awarded 13 US patents and authored more than 20 publications in refereed journals and conference proceedings. Kjersta earned Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington, a B.A. in Chemistry from Pacific Lutheran University and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University.