Dr. Manuel is an internationally recognized leader and expert in light metals, design and computational methodologies for materials development, and materials characterization. She received her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University and her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida. Prior to her return to the University of Florida, she served as a post-doctoral researcher at General Motors in Warren, Michigan. She is the recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), NSF CAREER, NASA Early Career Faculty, American Society of Metals (ASM) Bradley Stoughton, The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) Early Career Faculty, TMS Young Leaders Professional Development, TMS and Japanese Institute for Metals (JIM) International Scholar, NASA Group Achievement, and the American Vacuum Society (AVS) Recognition for Excellence in Leadership awards. She currently serves on the TMS Board of Directors, director of the TMS Content Development and Dissemination committee, overseeing all TMS publications including: books and conference proceedings, the Journal of Metals, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, B, and E, Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy, Journal of Electronic Materials, and the Integrating Materials and Manufacturing Innovation journal publications. She is also the principal editor for the Journal of Materials Research. Michele has served as a principal, senior, or co-investigator on over $25M in funding from a variety of federal, state, and industry sources on topics ranging from metallurgy to biotechnology to nuclear fuels. She has edited 5 books, published over 60 peer-reviewed journal publications, and contributed to over 100 technical presentations. She currently holds the Rolf E. Hummel Professorship of Materials Science and Engineering.