Profile
Katie Jo Sunday, PhD, Additive Manufacturing Lead at Joby Aviation in Marina, CA wanted to be a professional athlete or perform on Broadway most of her childhood, but when she tore her ACL in the 9th grade and was not selected for the leading role in Footloose, Katie Jo realized she needed a backup plan. She took a few introductory engineering courses in her high school’s Project Lead the Way program and was instantly hooked on the endless possibilities for innovation and creativity a future in engineering could hold.
Katie Jo ultimately pursued a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University. Her research led her to the powder metallurgy industry where she later became a Materials Scientist at GKN Hoeganaes, a metal powder producer. Katie Jo continued researching magnetic powder for electric motor applications and customer-driven projects. Promoted to Customer Programs Lead for the Additive Manufacturing team, she became a technical liaison between customers and the production of additive materials.
After living in Philadelphia for 8 years, Katie Jo and her wife were ready for their next adventure. An open role at Joby Aviation caught her eye and Katie Jo started in the Additive Manufacturing team as a Materials Engineer, developing the powder process requirements and building the materials testing labs. Within two years, she was promoted to Additive Manufacturing Lead responsible for the team that produces the 3D-printed metallic parts she developed the materials testing for.
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