Faculty

taner@nist.gov

Ritesh Agarwal
Assistant Professor

Ph.D., UC Berkeley
M.S., University of Chicago
M.Sc., Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Secondary Department
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Research Interests
Dr. Agarwal's research is focused on the rational development of functional nanostructured materials for application in novel nanophotonic devices. His research in nanotechnology extends across several frontiers of science and engineering, including the rational growth of functional nanostructured materials, understanding of physical behavior at the nanoscale, and the hierarchical assembly of nanostructures into integrated nanosystems.

Awards (since 1996)
NSF Career Award (2007 - 2012)

Courses
MSE 215, Spring 2006, Intro to Nanoscale Materials

John L. Bassani
Professor

Ph.D., Engineering, Harvard University, 1978
M.S., Applied Mechanics, Lehigh University, 1975
B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University, 1973

Primary Department
Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Secondary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Relationship between properties of discrete and continuous media. Interfacial mechanics. Plastic deformation of crystals - nonlocal continuum theory. Mechanics of fracture and fatigue. Material stability and localized deformation. Mechanics of living cells.

Awards (since 1996)
Presidential Young Investigator Award (1984-1989)
Richard H. and S. L. Gabel Professor of Mechanical Engineering (1993-present)

Courses
ENM 511
MEAM 454
MEAM 210
MEAM 427
MEAM 630

Dawn A. Bonnell
Trustee Professor

Ph.D., Materials Science & Engineering, University of Michigan, 1986
M.S., Engineering Materials, University of Michigan, 1984
B.S.E., Materials Science & Engineering, University of Michigan, 1983

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Secondary Department
BioEngineering

Research Interests
Nanometer scale structure/properties in complex systems. Atomistic processes at surfaces. Grain boundary and interfaces structures. Nano and molecular electronics. Biomolecular interaction at interfaces with physical systems. Charge mediated assembly of nanostructures.

Awards (since 1996)
Fellow AVS
Staudinger/Durrer Medal from ETH Zurich
California Institute of Technology Kliegel Lecturer
Provost Distinguished Lecturer CWRU
Ross Coffin Purdy Award,. Am. Cer. Soc.
and Fellow American Ceramic Society

Courses (since 1998)
MSE 465/565
MSE 790
MSE 410

Norman Brown
Professor Emeritus

Ph.D. Metallurgy, University of California - 1952
M.S. Metallurgy, Stanford - 1950
B.S. Metallurgy, MIT - 1942

Research Interests
Slow-crack growth in polyethylene and world leader in fracture of polyethylene pipe

Robert Carpick
Associate Professor

Ph.D. (1997) University of California, Berkeley
M.A. (1994) University of California, Berkeley
B.Sc. (1991) University of Toronto

Primary Department
Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Secondary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Working at the intersection of mechanics and materials to determine the fundamental, atomic-scale origins of tribology (friction, wear, adhesion, lubrication) and its connections to the structure, composition, and mechanical properties of materials; applying this knowledge to micro- and nano-mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) including through the use of novel ultrathin films; nanomechanics and nanomanipulation; scanning probe microscopy; surface/interface science; nanocomposites for structural applications.

Awards (since 1996)
Outstanding New Mechanics Educator Award, ASEE Mechanics Chapter (2003)
3M Untenured Faculty Award (2002-2004)
National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2002)
Best Overall Mechanics Presentation, ASEE Mechanics Chapter (2001 National Meeting)

I-Wei Chen
Skirkanich Chair in Materials Innovation

Ph.D. Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - 1980
M.S. Physics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
B.S. Physics, National Tsinghua University, Taiwan

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Novel ferromagnetic/ferroelectric ceramics and thin film heterostructures. Ultratough heat-resistant silicon nitride structural ceramics. Bio-functionalized inorganic/organic nanoparticle colloids and composites.

Awards (since 1996)
Humboldt Prize (1997)
Edward C. Henry Award, Electronic Division,
   American Ceramic Society (1999)

Courses (since 1998)
MSE 358
MSE 520
MSE 560

Russell J. Composto
Professor

Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University - 1987
M.S. Materials Science, Cornell University - 1984
B.A. Physics, Gettysburg College - 1982

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Secondary Department
Chemical Engineering

Research Interests
Polymer surfaces and interfaces. Cell/organic interfaces. Ionomer surfaces and transport, polymer coating and adhesion, wetting and phase separation in polymer blends, SAM/peptide tethered surfaces.

Courses (since 1998)
MSE 222
MSE 493
MSE 590

Peter K. Davies
Department Chair, Professor

Ph.D. Solid State Chemistry, Arizona State University - 1981
M.A. Natural Sciences, Oxford University - 1978
B.A. Chemistry, New College, Oxford University - 1975

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Synthesis, structure, solid state chemistry, and properties of electronic ceramics. Development of new dielectric ceramics for wireless microwave communication systems, modification of the nano-structural features of relaxor ferroelectrics, synthesis of new piezoelectric materials, design and synthesis of multi-functional oxide systems. High resolution transmission electron microscopy, x-ray and neutron diffraction are used to guide the synthesis of new materials. In most systems the focus is on how different degrees of cation order can lead to modifications in the material response.

Awards (since 1996)
Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, University of Pennsylvania, 1998
UPS Chair for Distinguished Teaching, University of Pennsylvania, 1997-98
Fellow, American Ceramic Society, 1997.

Courses (since 1998)
Chem 101 (SEAS)
MSE 260

Takeshi Egami
Adjunct Professor

Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, in Materials Science - 1971
B. Eng University of Tokyo, in Applied Physics - 1968

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Secondary Department
Electrical Engineering

Research Interests
Electronic oxides including high-temperature superconducting cuprates, manganites with colossal magnetoresistivity, ferroelectric titanates, relaxor ferroelectric niobates, and vanadates with metal-insulator transition. Catalytic and catalyst support oxides for automotive emission control and fuel cells. Neutron scattering, synchrotron x-ray scattering. Modeling and theory.

Awards (since 1996)
S. Reid Warren Award for Distinguished Teaching 1997
National Science Foundation Creativity Extension Award 1999
Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society 2000

Courses (since 1998)
MSE222 Electronic Materials
MSE520 Structure of Materials
MSE790 Magnetism, Ferroelectricity and
   Superconductivity: Technology and Science

Jack (John) Fischer
Professor Emeritus

Ph.D. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Nuclear Science and Engineering, 1966
B.S. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Mechanical Engineering, 1961
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1962

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Carbon nanotubes, fullerene materials and lithium-carbon compounds.

Awards (since 1996)
Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society 1992

Courses (since 1998)
MSE 500
MSE 410
MSE 440

Roger H. French
Adjunct Professor

Ph.D. Materials Science, MIT - 1985
B.S. Materials Science, Cornell University - 1979

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Optical properties and electronic structure of ceramics, optical materials and polymers, vacuum ultraviolet and valence electron energyloss spectroscopy of bulk interfacial and surficial materials. Materials for Moore's Law: Semiconductor and lithography materials, including phaseshift photomarks, fluoropolymer pellicles and photoresists.

Awards (since 1996)
International Fulrath Awardee of the American and Japanese Ceramics Society, 1998-99
Fellow of the American Ceramics Society, 1999
 

Louis A. Girifalco
Professor

Ph.D., Chemical Physics, University of Cincinnati, 1954
M.S., Chemistry, University of Cincinnati, 1952
B.S., Chemistry, Rutgers University, 1950

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Statistical Mechanics of Solids; Theory of Cohesion

Courses (since 1998)
EAS 320
MSE 670/671

Raymond J. Gorte
Professor

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota, 1981
B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Wisconsin, 1976

Primary Department
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Secondary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Direct oxidation fuel cells. Automotive emission control catalysis. Zeolites.

Awards (since 1996)
Penn Engineering Distinguished Research Award, 2001
Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor, 2001
North American Catalysis Society's Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis, 1999
Catalysis Club of Philadelphia Award, 1998
Giuseppe Parravano Memorial Award of the Michigan Catalysis Society, 1997
Carl V.S. Patterson Professor of Chemical Engineering, 1996

Courses
ChE 351/MEAM 333
ChE 621
ChE 460

Charles D. Graham
Emeritus Professor

Ph.D., Physical and Theoretical Metallurgy, University of Birmingham, 1954.
B.Met.E., Metallurgical Engineering, Cornell University, 1954

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Magnetic materials

Courses (since 1998)
EAS 101

William R. Graham
Professor

D. Phil., Physics, Oxford University, 1965
M.S., Physics, Melbourne University, 1961
B.S., Physics, Melbourne University, 1959

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Geometric, electronic, and vibrational structure and properties of surfaces and thin-film interface systems. Medium-energy ion scattering and low-energy electron diffraction. Auger electron spectroscopy and molecular beam epitaxy. Ultra-high-vacuum thin-film growth and characterization techniques.

Awards (since 1996)
S. Reid Warren Award for Distinguished Teaching 2001

Courses (since 1998)
MSE 221
MSE 495/496
MSE 570
BE 220

Alan T. "Charlie" Johnson, Jr.
Associate Professor

Ph.D., Harvard University, 1990
B.S., Stanford University, 1984

Primary Department
Physics & Astronomy

Secondary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Carbon Nanotube Electronics. Thermal Transport in Carbon Nanotubes. Electron Transport in Single Molecules.

Courses
Phys 171-301
Phys 170-301

Cherie R. Kagan
Associate Professor

Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering, MIT 1996
B.S.E. Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania 1991
B.A. Mathematics, University of Pennsylvania 1991

Primary Department
Electrical and Systems Engineering

Secondary Appointment
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Chemical and physical properties of molecular, supramolecular, and nanoscale assemblies and devices; intramolecular, intermolecular, and interfacial charge and excitonic transport and interactions for the application of molecular and nanoscale materials in transistors and memory devices, photovoltaic devices, and chemical and biological sensors.

Awards
IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Award, 2005
ACS Selected in Top 12 Young Women at the Forefront of Chemistry, 2002
MIT Technology Review TR10, 2000

Courses
ESE/MSE 525
ESE 521

Mahadevan Khantha
Lecturer

Ph.D. Physics, Indian Institute of Technology - 1985
M.Sc. Physics, University of Madras - 1981
B.Sc. Physics, University of Madras - 1979

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Deformation of metals and compounds: fracture and brittle-ductile transition; evolution of epitaxial structure and morphology; length-scale effects in plasticity; modeling of glasses.

Campbell Laird
Professor Emeritus

Ph.D., Physical Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, 1963
M.A., Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge, 1962
B.A., Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge, 1959

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Electrochemical Fatigue Sensing. Cyclic Deformation. Fatigue fracture. Metals and Alloys. Composites. Failure Analysis.

Courses (since 1998)
MSE 540
MSE 650

Ju Li
Associate Professor

Ph.D., MIT, 2000
B.S., University of Science and Technology of China, 1994

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Materials theory and modeling.  Mechanical properties of nanostructured materials. Cell mechanics.  Structure and property of metallic glass.  Transport, actuation and photonics.  Energy storage and conversion, and catalysis. Nanoscale patterning, self assembly, and metamaterials.  Multiscale modeling algorithms.

Awards (since 1996)
Technology Review TR35 award, 2007
NAE U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, 2007
MRS Outstanding Young Investigator Award, 2006
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, 2005

Courses
MSE 440/540, Spring 2008, Phase Transformations
MSE 530, Fall 2008, Thermodynamics of Materials

David Luzzi
Adjunct Professor

Ph.D. Materials Science & Engineering, Northwestern University - 1986
B.E. Engineering Physics, Stevens Institute of Technology - 1980

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Structure and properties of carbon nanotubes. Interfaces in structural materials. Mechanical properties of Laves phases.

Courses (since 1998)
MSE 360
MSE 435
MSE 451
MSE 540

Charles J. McMahon, Jr.
Professor Emeritus

Sc. D., Physical Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1963
B.S. Metallurgical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1955

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Mechanisms of Interfacial Fracture, especially diffusion-controlled decohesion of structural alloys.

Awards (since 1996)
Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching 2001
Charles S. Barrett Silver Medal 2001
Alpha Sigma Mu Lecture, 1998

Courses (since 1998)
MSE 220

Christopher B. Murray
Richard Perry University Professor Inorganic, Nanoscale and Materials Chemistry

B.Sc. Honors Chemistry, Summa cum Laude, St. Mary's University, Halifax N.S., Canada
Ph.D. Physical Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Primary Department
Chemistry

Research Interests

Awards

Courses

David Pope
Undergraduate Chair, Professor

Ph.D., Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, 1967
M.S., Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, 1962
B.S., Applied Science, University of Wisconsin, 1961

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Deformation and Fracture of Intermetallic Compounds
Dislocation Generation and the Brittle-to-Ductile Transition
Grain Boundary Failure

Awards (since 1996)
S. Reid Warren Award for Distinguished Teaching 2000

Courses (since 1998)
MSE 250
BE 200

Vaclav Vitek
Professor

Ph.D., Physics, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, 1966
B.S., Physics, Charles University, Prague, 1962

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Secondary Department
Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics

Research Interests
Atomistic studies of interfaces and dislocations in transition elemental metals, intermetallic compounds and transition metal silicides and related mechanisms of deformation and fracture. Development of bond-order potentials, combined with ab-initio DFT based methods. Linking atomic level structure and properties with macroscopic behavior of materials via multi-scale modeling.

Awards (since 1996)
Member of the National Academy of Engineering, 2006
Alexander von Humboldt Senior Scientist Award, 1992
Acta Metallurgica Gold Medal, 1996
Elected Fellow of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, 1999
Ernst Mach Medal in Physical Sciences awarded by the Czech Academy of Sciences, 1999
Honorary Doctorate of the Technical University of Brno, Czech Republic, 1999

Courses (since 1998)
ENM 508
MSE 660
MSE 550/MEAM 519

Karen Winey
Professor

Ph.D., Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 1991
M.S., Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 1989
B.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, 1985

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Secondary Department
Chemical Engineering

Research Interests
Structure-property relationships in polymers. Ion-containing polymers, ionomers, nanotube composites, block copolymers, and polymeric drug delivery systems. Processing, morphology, rheology, mechanical and thermal properties, and phase behavior. Expertise in electron microscopy and x-ray scattering of polymers.

Awards (since 1996)
American Physical Society Fellow, 2003
Cosslett Award for Best Invited Paper Microscopy Society and Microanalysis, 2000
NSF - National Young Investigator, 1994-1999

Courses (since 1998)
EAS 210
MSE 220

Wayne Worrell
Professor Emeritus

Ph.D., Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1963
B.S., Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1959

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Properties and novel applications (fuel cells, membranes and sensors ) of mixed-conducting oxides; Prevention of environmental degradation of advanced materials (composite and inter metallic compounds) at elevated temperatures. Solid state electrochemistry at elevated temperatures.
 

Shu Yang
Skirkanich Assistant Professor in Materials Science and Engineering

Ph.D., Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, 1999
M.S., Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, 1997
B.S., Material Science, Fudan University, China, 1992

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
Synthesis, characterization and fabrication of functional polymers, and organic/inorganic hybrids. Special interests involve the synthesis of block copolymers, block copolymer templated organosilicates, and their nanostructures; development of photosensitive materials and non-conventional approaches for nano- and micropatterning of 2D and 3D structures; liquid wetting and dewetting behavior on adaptive and/or nanostructured surfaces.

Awards (since 1996)
Member of Bell Labs team for Excellence in Research Award on “Microfluidics in Photonics” selected by Frost and Sullivan, 2003
Selected to Frontiers of Engineering Symposium by National Academy of Engineering as one of the top 100 young engineers, 2002
Unilever Award in Polymer Science and Engineering from American Chemical Society, 2001
ICI Award in Applied Polymer Science from American Chemical Society, 1999

Taner Yildirim
Adjunct Associate Professor

Ph.D., Physics Department, University of Pennsylvania, 1990-1994
M.S., Physics Department, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey 1988-1990
B.S., Physics Department, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey 1985-1988

Primary Department
Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests
My research addresses structural, magnetic, and transport properties of novel materials with an eye toward practical applications. This is done by calculating the properties of real materials using first-principles computational techniques and testing the results by neutron scattering, x-ray and other measurements. Systems of particular interest include molecular solids such as the fullerenes and cubane, nanoporous materials such as metal-organic frameworks for hydrogen storage, frustrated magnetic systems such as the Kagome lattice and cuprates, novel superconductors such as doped fullerenes and magnesium diboride, and nanomaterials such as nanotubes and molecular magnets.

Awards (since 1993)
Science Prize of the Neutron Scattering Society of America , 2006
United States, Department of Commerce, Bronze Medal Award , 2004
NIST Sigma Xi award for Outstanding Young Scientist, 2002
Materials Research Society Award: In recognition of outstanding performance in the conduct of research, 1993