2025 CNF Annual Meeting

Location Button: Statler Hotel

2025 CNF Annual Meeting

Join us on Tuesday, November 18th, 2025, at Cornell University’s Ithaca Campus in the Statler Hotel for a full day of innovation, collaboration, and cutting-edge research at the CNF Annual Meeting.

This year’s event will feature keynotes from thought leaders at the intersection of decision science and microelectronics:


Keynote Speaker

Headshot of Cheryl Einhorn

 

 

 

Cheryl Strauss Einhorn

Founder and CEO, Decisive

 
Cheryl is the founder of Decisive, a decision sciences company that trains people and teams in complex problem solving and decision-making skills using the AREA Method. AREA is an evidence-based decision-making system that uniquely controls for and counters cognitive bias to expand knowledge while improving judgment. Cheryl developed AREA during her two decades as an aware-winning investigative journalist writing for publication ranging from The New York Times to Foreign Policy Magazine, Barron's and Harvard Business Review. Cheryl is a long time educator, having taught at Columbia Business School for over a decade and currently teaching at Cornell University's SC Johnson School of Business and Cornell Tech. She is the author of three books: Problem Solved, A Powerful System for Making Complex Decisions with Confidence and Conviction, about personal and professional decision-making, and Investing In Financial Research, A Decision-Making System for Better Results about financial and investment decisions. Her most recent book is about Problem Solver Profiles and the psychology of decision-making, Problem Solver, Maximizing Your Strengths To Make Better Decisions, and her new book on AI and decision-making will be published in 2026. Cheryl loves to be in the great outdoors, spend time with her three kids, and bake all kinds of good cookies. Learn more by watching her Ted Talk and visiting areamethod.com
  

Plenary Speaker

Headshot of Dirk Pfeiffer

 

 

Dr. Dirk Pfeiffer

Director, Microelectronics Research Laboratory (MRL)
IBM Research – T.J. Watson Research Center

 
Dr. Dirk Pfeiffer is the director of the Microelectronics Research Laboratory (MRL) at the IBM TJ Watson Research Center. The MRL is a semiconductor R&D facility with key capabilities including a 200mm wafer scale fabrication line, die and wafer level packaging & assembly, surface mount technology, characterization and other for advanced prototyping and process development of new materials and devices. The key mission of the MRL is to accelerate technologies from early stages of innovation to wafer scale development and manufacturing ("lab to Fab" prototyping). Its project portfolio include quantum, semiconductor device and materials development, embedded analog devices for memory and AI application, loT and biomedical devices for health care applications, 2.5 and 3D packaging development and cooling and others. Dr. Dirk Pfeiffer has 25 years of experience and material process development as well as building and operating semiconductor fabrication facilities. He is author and coauthor of 80 plus patents, publications, as well as several outstanding technology achievement awards and has a PhD in Chemistry.

 Don’t miss your chance to connect with leaders, researchers, and peers shaping the future of nanoscience.

Click here to register for the CNF Annual Meeting


📍 Location: Statler Hotel, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
📅 Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2025

AGENDA

8:00am-8:30am  Registration & Continental Breakfast
 
8:30am-9:00am  Welcoming Remarks & CNF Updates
Gary Koretzky, Interim Vice Provost for Research
Ron Olson, CNF Director of Operations
 
  
9:00am-10:00am  KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Cheryl Strauss Einhorn
Founder and CEO 
Decisive                                                                
"Decision-Making Amid Uncertainty"
  
10:00am-10:10am  Break & Poster Preview 
  
Session Chair: Chris Alpha
  
10:10am-11:10am  CNF Project Highlights
 
11:10am-11:30am  Break & Poster Preview
 
Session Chair: Phil Infante
  
11:30am-12:00pm  CNF Project Highlights
 
12:00pm-12:30pm  PLENARY SPEAKER

Dirk Pfeiffer
Director, Microelectronics Research Laboratory (MRL)
IBM Research – T.J. Watson Research Center
"Wafer Scale Semiconductor Lab to Fab Process Development and Prototyping"
 
 
12:30pm-2:30pm  Lunch, Poster Session, and Vendor Showcase
  
Session Chair: Garry Bordonaro
  
2:30pm-2:40pm  Nellie Whetten Award & Presentation 
  
2:40pm-4:10pm  CNF Project Highlights 
  
Session Chair: Jeremy Clark
  
4:10pm-5:00pm  CNF Project Highlights 
  
5:00pm-6:00pm  Cleanroom tours  
  
Agenda subject to change

 

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