About Us

Welcome to the show! This is a podcast made for MSE's by MSE's! The podcast was founded by 2 materials engineering students out of Georgia Tech with a dedication to share this field's impact and versatility throughout our community.

Materials science and engineering (MSE) has transformed almost every industry in the world. It encompasses some of today's most pressing issues, including renewable energy, solid-state batteries, environmentally conscious manufacturing and so much more! However, very few people have a comprehensive picture of this field's influence on our everyday lives.

That's where It's a Material World comes into play. In each episode, we invite a subject matter expert onto the show, and we combine our curiosity with their passion to dive into how MSE will change the world as we know it.

If you're motivated to make a positive impact on the world, we hope you join the It's a Material World community!

Meet the team

We are a group of Materials Engineers dedicated to bringing you engaging content, exclusive resources and the advice that we wish we knew in college. Every individual on our team has worked hard to find their niche in this broad field and not every journey has a straight path. If any team member's story resonates with you feel free to reach out! We are always happy to help!

Co-founder and Co-host

Punith Upadhya

Punith is the co-founder and co-host of the It's a Material World podcast, alongside David. He is interested in nanobiotechnology, biomaterials, and materials engineering applications in the medical device industry. Punith graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with his Master's degree in Materials Science and Engineering in 2021. Since then, he has been working as a Design Assurance Engineer at Boston Scientific. Outside of work and recording podcast episodes, Punith enjoys hiking, traveling the world, watching Steelers football, and attending local baseball games!

Co-host

David Yeh

David is a co-host of the It's a Material World podcast, alongside Punith. He graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with his Master's degree in Materials Science and Engineering in 2022. David is currently a process engineer at Tesla in their cell manufacturing organization. His interests include: materials engineering applications in energy storage and battery research, data science, and functional materials.

Business Development Manager

Alexa Peruffo

Alexa works to increase podcast audience and engagement by connecting with students and companies around the world to create collaborations and partnerships. Alexa graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with her Master's degree in Materials Science and Engineering in 2022. Since then, she has been working as a Enterprise Performance Consultant at Deloitte. Outside of work, Alexa enjoys cooking, exploring new cities, watching and playing sports (ask me my teams, I'm from NY) and well as doing puzzles when she has spare time.

Outreach Manager

Kyle Matthews

Kyle is the Outreach Manager of the It’s a Material World Podcast. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, studying materials science & engineering. Kyle’s research discusses on the synthesis of MXenes, a 2D nanomaterial and their use in energy storage applications. Outside of work and related activities, Kyle enjoys traveling, games, watching the Eagles, and relaxing with friends in Philadelphia.

Podcast Manager

Andrew Ruba

Andrew is the Podcast Manager of the IAMW team, meaning that he takes care of a bunch of the behind-the-scenes details of the show (writing interview questions, LinkedIn posts, organizing guests, and so on). He graduated in 2022 from Iowa State University with specializations in polymers and metals and minored in English (I thought I was going to be a fantasy author once upon a time). He currently works at Los Alamos National Lab, investigating the separation of highly salinated brine solutions to create new sources of pure water. Please enjoy the show!

Podcast Outreach Coordinator

Imelda Rho

Imelda is the Podcast Outreach Coordinator of the IAMW team. She graduated in 2022 from Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Materials Science and Engineering. She is currently leading a study in a team of material engineers in the R&D industry for nuclear power plants, Imelda is most thrilled to see her teammates carry on the confidence they gain from her technical work presentation. After graduating, she worked towards quality control within automotive and medical device manufacturing companies. She keeps her hope in seeing more materials lab and database become integrated for quality control and decision making purposes. She stays active in her local Catholic young adults community at Seattle and loves to connect with new people.