Audrey Sherman

Audrey Sherman considers science and invention a team sport. As 3M’s top female patent holder, she is named on 150 patents, 148 of which she co-invented.

Of her inventions, her favorite is a Command hook for the shower and bath. When 3M was looking for an adhesive that could hold objects in soapy and wet conditions, Sherman proposed adapting one she was working on for traffic markings on wet roads. 

In 2019, her experience with adhesives was crucial in developing a non-corrosive car wrap, used to give a Lamborghini a mirror-like finish. She said this project allowed her to fulfill a childhood dream of cooking polymers all day and driving a sports car. Her other notable inventions are ones that are a part of our daily lives — including adhesive used in cell phone screen protectors, duct tape, and masking tape. 

Sherman worked in 3M’s Medical Solutions Division and then the spin-off healthcare company Solventum, where her medical device projects range from coatings for stethoscopes to improving the manufacturing of sterilization indicators. She continues to work on medical applications for her favorite material — adhesives — like developing pain-free medical tape and wound dressings for patients.