Innovator and 3M Corporate Scientist Jayshree Seth will speak on Rose-Hulman's campus as part of the Swearingen Leadership Series on May 7. The event, which is open to all students, faculty, and staff, will be held in the Mussallem Union's Lake Room at 5:30 p.m. (EDT).

Seth joined 3M in 1993 and currently holds 80 patents for a variety of innovations, with several additional pending. She was appointed 3M's first-ever Chief Science Advocate in 2018 and uses her scientific knowledge, technical expertise, and professional experience to advance science and the importance of STEM-based innovation and a robust talent pipeline to drive it. Seth is a member of the Carlton Society, the 3M science and innovation “Hall of Fame.” She is the fourth woman and the first female engineer to be inducted.

Additionally, Seth is the author of the books, The Heart of Science – Engineering Footprints, Fingerprints, & Imprints,  The Heart of Science – Engineering Fine Print and The Heart of Science – Engineering Blueprint published by the Society of Women Engineers. All sales proceeds of the trilogy go to a scholarship for women in STEM, which Rose-Hulman sophomore Janaé Gillus received in 2023.

In 2020, Seth was awarded the SWE Highest Achievement Award. She is also the first-ever winner of a Gold Stevie Award in the Female Thought Leaders of the Year category in the 18th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business in 2021. In 2025, she was named to the prestigious Thinkers50 Radar list, which features 30 people whose ideas will help shape the future of organizations and leadership.

Globally, Seth speaks on a multitude of topics, including innovation, leadership, careers and STEM advocacy. A TEDx speaker, Seth was also featured in a docuseries titled "Not the Science Type" that premiered during the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and was accepted for Brand Storytelling Showcase, a sanctioned event at Sundance Film Festival.

She serves on the Board of the Science Museum of Minnesota, Engineering Advisory Council for Clarkson University, American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) Industry Advisory Council, and the Advisory Group of the Aspen Institute "Our Future is Science" program. She also serves on the Advisory Board for Innovation - The Conference Board as an Innovation Fellow.

Seth earned a master's and PhD in chemical engineering from Clarkson University, New York. Her B. Tech. in chemical engineering is from REC Trichy India, now known as NIIT Trichy, and she was later awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award from the institution.

The Swearingen Leadership Series, which is part of Rose-Hulman’s Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program, invites prominent figures to share their leadership insights with students. The series has featured figures such as Kate Maxwell, Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft Federal, and Hank Green, a renowned science communicator and entrepreneur, among others. These speakers provide students with robust perspectives on leadership within STEM fields, helping them grow into well-rounded leaders.