After graduating in 1983 with a Ph.D. in hydrometallurgy from Imperial College, University of London, Professor Fiona Doyle joined the MSE faculty at Berkeley. Professor Doyle was then the first woman professor in the MSE department and in 2002 she was named the chair of the department. Doyle has taught undergraduate and graduate courses relating to engineering chemistry, mineral engineering, surface properties of materials, aqueous processing of materials, and electrometallurgy. She has also consulted for firms such as Placer Dome U.S., Unocal, General Electric, and Alcoa.

Professor Minute: Interview with MSE professor Fiona Doyle

What do you do to forget about engineering and/or work ?

Spend time with my family. Fun activities include skiing and hiking, but even mundane things like grocery shopping, doing laundry, and supervising homework are a refreshing change of pace. My personal indulgence is reading novels.

What is your personal recipe for success?

Do things that you really enjoy. Not only does it make sense to try and have fun in your studies and work, but that way your enthusiasm will help you shine above the competition.

What can a student do to get through your hardest class?

Come to office hours! I help you get started on problems that you might think are difficult, and I get feedback on where to spend more time in class. Plus, I really like to get to know my students one-on-one.

Why did you become a professor?

By accident. I only intended doing this for a few years, but found that I really enjoyed working with students and decided to stay.

If you would like us to feature your favorite professor, please email his or her name to editnews@coe.berkeley.edu.

College of Engineering Home Page

Send comments to editnews@coe.berkeley.edu   © 2003 UC Regents