According to PPG, Bourne led development of an enterprise-scale AI platform designed to accelerate product development and improve decision-making for thousands of users worldwide.

She has also supported laboratory digitization initiatives involving more than 70 PPG research facilities.

"Jenny embodies the kind of leadership that is helping PPG turn emerging technologies into meaningful business impact," said Brad Budde, PPG vice president and chief digital officer.

"She brings together deep technical expertise, curiosity and an understanding of how people work to develop solutions that help our scientists collaborate, innovate and bring new products to market faster. Just as important, Jenny invests in people – mentoring colleagues, developing talent and creating opportunities for others to grow."

Bourne was also recognized for mentoring colleagues, developing talent and supporting STEM education and workforce development in the Pittsburgh region.

She leads PPG's Latino Employee Resource Network.

Pittsburgh Magazine's annual 40 Under 40 program recognizes professionals for their careers, leadership and community contributions.

For coatings manufacturers, PPG's investment in AI-enabled product development and digital laboratory systems reflects growing interest in using data and technology to improve research workflows.

The company's announcement did not disclose specific performance metrics for the platform, including product-development time reductions or productivity improvements.

Digital laboratory systems and AI-assisted workflows are becoming increasingly important to coatings research and formulation development. Explore PCI's coverage of coating equipment and research technologies.