Dr. Jamesa L. Stokes is a materials research engineer in the Environmental Effects and Coatings Branch at the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, OH. She started her education at Auburn University, graduating Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree of science in Physics in 2014. After graduating, she was awarded a J. William Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research in Stuttgart, Germany at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Structures and Design, testing materials for heat shields and thermal protection systems. She completed Ph.D. graduate studies in 2019 at the Pennsylvania State University in the department of Materials Science and Engineering. Her graduate work focused on environmental barrier coatings for ceramic components in gas turbine engines and deleterious reactions with molten dust particulates from terrestrial sources like desert sand or volcanic ash. Her current duties include the investigation of materials' behavior in extreme environments and to develop new ways to synthesize novel materials and advanced environmental protection systems.