Biography
Dr. Alexander Schachtner
AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow
Division of Physics
Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Class of 2024-2026
Dr. Alexander Schachtner is a physicist and engineer with broad scientific interests. Prior to his appointment at the U.S. National Science Foundation, he was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Oregon, where his research focused on fabrication methods for microscale biomedical devices and their clinical translation. He also had extensive process engineering experience at Mattrix Technologies, Inc., a startup company focused on commercializing novel light-emitting transistor technologies. He received his bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Oregon, where he studied electron vortex beams in scanning and tunneling electron microscopes. He then completed his doctorate in physics at the University of Florida, where he specialized in developing new deposition methods for carbon nanotube thin films and their use in nanoscale electronic devices. Though his primary domain knowledge is in condensed matter physics and nanoscale device fabrication, he deeply enjoys using the problem-solving skills he gained through his physics education on a wide range of scientific and social issues. While at the University of Florida, he co-founded an all-volunteer mentorship program for the physics graduate student community that focused on fostering personal and professional connections across a wide variety of cultural, ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds. Schachtner is delighted to enter the world of science policy and excited by the opportunity to create a significant impact. Outside of his career in science and science policy, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, playing drums, and making large-scale abstract geometric art.