Learn why Dr. Amra Peles loves her job as the Chief Scientist at the Chemical Dynamics initiative at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
December 16, 2019
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A physicist by training, Amra Peles is chief scientist at the Chemical Dynamics initiative at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She coordinates interdisciplinary teams in their efforts to understand the properties of materials and complex chemical systems and explain those properties through physics. This knowledge helps predict properties that can improve materials in devices, structures, tools, and machines we use every day. She earned her Ph.D. and M.Sc. in physics from the University of Manitoba and a diploma in engineering physics from the University of Sarajevo.
What inspired you to work in STEM?
From an early age, I was interested in getting answers to intriguing questions, and I was not always satisfied by the answers that I got! I remember my dad explaining that materials consist of atoms by sawing through wood, showing that you can go smaller and smaller. I started to be curious about what makes a material what it is. I wanted to know how math could describe infinitely smaller quantities. I understand those questions differently now, but in some ways, I’m still asking them, just in different situations. If you think about materials and energy, it’s the same thing as E=MC2, but when you apply it in different situations, you have to understand how the properties of these atoms interact. In medicine, you need to know which material the body will accept. You’ll need something strong in the engine of an airplane. We can trace everything about materials back to how the atoms are arranged and how they interact; metals, plastic, and nanomaterials all have unique properties. As we get a better understanding, we can play with the different arrangements, compositions, and physics of materials to be useful to us in new ways.
What excites you about your work at the Energy Department?
I’m excited by the enormous opportunity to make an impact. When I was considering joining PNNL, the mission of addressing security, energy, and safety issues spoke to me. I wanted to bridge fundamental scientific research with a broad set of technologies. The Lab has so much: from understanding chemical evolution of complex species that appeared after a nuclear disaster, to energy resilience and quantum computing. This broad approach brings a lot of creative freedoms.
How can our country engage more women, girls, and other underrepresented groups in STEM?
I like to talk to people about what I do in science. I talk about science as a STEM ambassador and a science judge, but I do it in less formal settings, too. I get so much satisfaction when talking about science makes a spark of curiosity in someone else. We’re doing good work with the many outreach programs that we have at PNNL. We can use those more broadly to give back and inspire.
Do you have tips you'd recommend for someone looking to enter your field of work?
Think of ideas as a living concept. As you gain strong skills in math and science, you’ll see that ideas are not static. The more you develop an idea, the more it lives and grows. And the more you learn, the more you clarify what is important. Sharing your ideas and questions is a good way to discover what can be studied and how you can address it, and what types of science to implement and what methods you will use.
When you have free time, what are your hobbies?
I love spending time with my family, just cooking or joking around. My husband and I chose careers where we could do things with passion, but also where we can prioritize time with our family. I also like art in any form—reading, music, performing, visual. I take any chance I get to travel to see plays, art exhibitions, and musical performances.
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