Yaroslava (Yara) Yingling is a Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State University with formal training in computer science, materials engineering, and chemistry, known for applying molecular modeling and AI-enabled materials workflows to industrially relevant challenges. Her expertise spans polymer formulations, soft and functional materials, and AI approaches designed to deliver reliable insight from small, proprietary, and heterogeneous datasets by tightly integrating simulations, data analysis, and experiments. For industrial applications, she enables predictive materials design that reduces trial-and-error, cost, time, and risk.