Rita Kirchhofer

Rita Kirchhofer has extensive experience in engineering and materials science, specializing in failure analysis, metallurgy, corrosion, and material structure-property relationships. Rita has worked in various industries including petrochemical, power generation, automotive, aerospace, consumer products, and microelectronics.

Rita's most recent role was as a Managing Engineer at Exponent since April 2020. Prior to that, they worked as a Senior Engineer at Exponent from December 2017 to April 2020.

Before joining Exponent, Rita was employed as a Senior Materials and Forensic Engineer at Intertek Engineering Consulting from January 2016 to November 2017. Rita was responsible for managing failure investigations and guiding clients on project scope, budget, and timelines.

Rita also has experience as a Senior Failure Analysis Engineer at Bloom Energy from August 2014 to January 2016. Rita worked on analyzing failure cases in hot box systems.

In their early career, Rita worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at Colorado School of Mines from October 2009 to May 2014. Rita also had internship roles at Idaho National Laboratory in 2011 and as a sub-contractor at Idaho National Laboratory from June 2009 to October 2010. Furthermore, they worked as a Summer Researcher at Missouri S&T in June 2009.

Rita's career began as a Materials Engineer at Anamet Inc. from July 2005 to August 2008.

Rita Kirchhofer obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Materials Science from the Colorado School of Mines, graduating in 2014. Prior to that, they earned a Master of Science (MS) degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the same institution, completing their studies in 2011. Rita also holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Davis, which they obtained between 2002 and 2004. In addition to their formal education, they have obtained certifications as a Certified Welding Inspector from the American Welding Society in August 2015 and as a Professional Engineer in Materials Engineering from the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) in November 2011.