Special Seminar — Turning Research Into Reality as a Gator Engineer

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Dr. Michael Patterson (Ph.D. ’13, Mechanical Engineering) returns to the University of Florida to share his journey from graduate research to becoming a leader at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), where he leads impactful teams tackling our nation’s most important technical challenges. When Dr. Patterson graduated the University of Florida with his PhD, he carried with him not only a degree but a mindset — one grounded in curiosity, collaboration, and the drive to solve hard problems. Over the past decade, that mindset has guided his journey to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), where he now leads large teams of scientists and engineers tackling some of our nation’s most critical technical challenges. In this talk, Dr. Patterson will share lessons learned from translating academic research into real-world impact, offer an inside look at APL— the nation’s largest university-affiliated research center — and reflect on how today’s Gator engineers can prepare to lead, innovate, and make a lasting difference after graduation. In this talk, Dr. Patterson will share lessons learned from translating academic research into real-world impact, offer an inside look at APL — the nation’s largest university-affiliated research center—and reflect on how today’s Gator engineers can prepare to lead, innovate, and make a lasting difference after graduation.

I cordially invite all of you to attend Dr. Patterson’s talk on Thursday 20 November 2025 at 3:00 PM in WERT 450.  Dr. Patterson is an extremely engaging speaker, and he is actively seeking to speak with and potentially recruit graduate students as part of his visit. All are welcome to attend. Snacks will be served.