WVU graduate turns curiosity and research into a path to Forbes 30 Under 30

WVU graduate Jason Gibson started his academic career with curiosity that led him to the Forbes 30 under 30 list. (WVU Photo supplied)

Jason Gibson didn’t come to West Virginia University with a master plan. He arrived at the WVU Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources planning to study aerospace engineering, following an interest in space and technology, but without a clear picture of where it would lead. That started to change during a walk through the Engineering Sciences Building.

Story by Emily Handrahan, Storyteller/writer
Photos supplied

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

“I had no idea what material science was,” Gibson said. “I was walking through the building and saw a flyer with a bunch of beaches on it. It said, ‘paid material science internship in Greece.’ I just thought — Greece sounds cool.”

What felt like a small, almost random moment turned into something more.

To apply, Gibson enrolled in a one-credit course taught by professor Kostas Sierros. The class wasn’t a typical lecture. Instead, it worked as a competitive, hands-on experience where students completed projects for a chance to earn a spot in the international research program.

Only a few were selected.

Gibson was one of them.

“While I was in Greece, working on that project, I started to realize how many unanswered questions there were,” he said. “Material science just felt like this frontier where there was still so much left to figure out.”

Up to that point, his focus had been aerospace engineering. But the experience shifted how he thought about the field.

“Even in aerospace, a lot of the innovation comes down to materials,” Gibson said. “More efficient fuels, lighter-weight structures — that’s where the real progress is.”

When he returned to campus, that realization didn’t push him in just one direction — it opened several.

Instead of staying within a single discipline, Gibson began exploring across departments, combining material science with astrophysics research. In the physics department, he worked with professor Maura McLaughlin on pulsar astronomy, an experience that introduced him to programming.

“That’s actually where I learned how to code,” he said.

The work felt different from anything he had done before. It wasn’t centered on lectures or exams, but on questions that didn’t yet have clear answers.

“Through your education, you’re a consumer of knowledge,” Gibson said. “But when you start doing research, you become a producer of knowledge.”

That shift changed how he approached learning.

“I realized it’s not just about reading a textbook and passing a test,” he said. “It’s about understanding something well enough to see what’s missing — and then trying to solve that.”

By the time he graduated, Gibson’s experience at WVU extended far beyond his original major. He had built a foundation that included interdisciplinary research, programming skills and even a published paper in astrophysics.

More importantly, he had learned how to navigate uncertainty.

“The biggest transitions I’ve made — going from aerospace engineering to material science, and later from a PhD into a startup — all came down to being willing to not know what you’re doing at first,” he said. “Just being willing to be a novice.”

That mindset carried into graduate school, where he began to combine the different areas he had explored at WVU into a single focus: computational material science.

“I liked the applications of materials, but I didn’t like working in a wet lab,” Gibson said. “And I liked the computational side of astrophysics. So I kind of just merged the two.”

His research focused on using machine learning to predict material properties, offering a faster and more efficient alternative to traditional simulation methods. The work led to multiple high-impact publications and the discovery of new superconducting materials.

Even then, Gibson wasn’t set on a traditional path.

“I never really thought I was going to start a startup,” he said.

After spending time at Los Alamos National Laboratory and considering his next steps, he began to see a different opportunity.

“I just felt like I had already developed what a lot of companies were trying to build,” Gibson said. “So I figured I might as well give it a shot.”

That decision led him to found Quantum Formatics, a company built directly on the work he first explored as a student. The company quickly gained traction, raising more than $6 million in funding through venture capital and government grants.

In 2024, Gibson was named to Forbes 30 Under 30.

To him, the recognition isn’t a turning point, but a reflection of the path that led there.

“It’s really just a recognition of taking the time to develop a unique skill set,” he said, “and being willing to take the risk to actually use it.”

What started as an interest in aerospace engineering became something much broader — a path shaped by curiosity, exploration and a willingness to try something new without knowing exactly where it would lead.

But it started with something simple.

“I just thought it sounded cool,” Gibson said.

At WVU, that was enough to turn a passing moment into a trajectory of success.

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