Faculty

Marina Leite: Materials for Renewable Energy

As the world pushes for renewable energy, materials are going to play a key role in making sure it’s both possible and sustainable. New materials science and engineering professor Marina Leite works towards this by studying materials that can both generate and store energy reliably to create the devices that will power the renewable energy revolution.

Scott McCormack: Developing Materials for Space Exploration

Outer space is an incredibly hazardous environment, as conditions range from extreme heat and cold, high levels of radiation and an abundance of plasma. To new materials science and engineering assistant professor Scott J. McCormack, this is a challenge in designing, discovering and developing new materials that can withstand these extreme conditions and keep people safe as they explore the solar system.

Roopali Kukreja: Solving the Puzzles of Magnetic Materials

Since studying engineering in college, Assistant Professor Roopali Kukreja has been fascinated with how and why people choose different materials for different applications. Learning about various materials gave her a greater appreciation for the field of materials science and engineering and she has stuck with it since. Now a faculty member at UC Davis, she works to understand the dynamics in magnetic materials.

Susan Gentry: Materials Educator

Since joining the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) in 2015, Susan Gentry has made waves in the College of Engineering through her assistant professor of teaching materials science and engineering position. She has overseen MSE curriculum development and education research, all while cementing herself in the department and forming relationships with her colleagues and the students she teaches each quarter.

Susan Gentry wins the 2019 ASM Bradley Stoughton Award for Young Teachers

By Noah Pflueger-Peters

Assistant Professor of Teaching Materials Science and Engineering Susan Gentry has received the 2019 ASM Bradley Stoughton Award for Young Teachers. The award, named after former ASM president Bradley Stoughton, recognizes young teachers in materials science and engineering who excel in inspiring and imparting knowledge to the students they teach.

New American Ceramic Society award named after Alexandra Navrotsky

The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) has established a new award named after Distinguished Professor Alexandra Navrotsky that recognizes innovation in experimental thermodynamics of solids.

The award, which will be given every other year, was established by a gift from Navrotsky herself to the society to recognize and promote exceptional thermodynamics research over a two-year period. Winners will receive a $5,000 prize and will present their research at the ACerS annual meeting.

Roopali Kukreja receives 2019 Air Force Young Investigator Research grant

Assistant Professor Roopali Kukreja has received a 2019 Air Force Office of Science and Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Research grant for her proposal, “Unraveling the Speed Limit of Magnetization Dynamics in Magnetic Heterostructures.”

Kukreja studies methods to manipulate magnetism in nanomaterials at femtosecond (1x10-15 second) timescales. She uses x-rays to better understand the fundamental mechanisms that enable her to control magnetism with optical lasers.

Subhash Mahajan receives the 2018 Acta Materialia Gold Medal

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Subhash Mahajan as the recipient of the 2018 Acta Materialia Gold Medal. This award recognizes demonstrated leadership in the field of Materials Science and Engineering and is intended to honor outstanding contributions to the field while also improving the awareness of the fundamental importance and diversity of materials research, both within the community and the public at large.

Congratulations, Dr. Mahajan!

Professor James Shackelford meets Pope

UC Davis Professor James Shackelford, his wife Penelope, and his colleague Dr. Mario Malinconico had the opportunity on April 9 to present some mementos of their work to Pope Francis.  All three attended the International Conference on Solid Urban Waste Management in Rome, which was organized through the International Union of Physical and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), and where Prof. Shackelford presented on online education to increase recycling awareness.  They were invited by the Vatican to attend the Jubilee of Mercy Audience, where they met the Pope.

CHMS reconstituted into two new departments for 2016-17

On February 29, 2016 the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science was reconstituted into two new departments: the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Currently we are in a transition period which we expect to last for the rest of this academic year (2015-16) .  The departments will operate independently starting July 1, 2016.

Subhash Mahajan publishes new article in MRS bulletin

Prof. Mahajan has published an article entitled “The role of materials science in the evolution of microelectronics” in the latest MRS Bulletin.  He writes on how materials science solved the critical challenges that allow us to use silicon as we do today and helped bring us into the Silicon Age (a riff off the ‘Bronze Age’ nomenclature, for the period more commonly known as the Information Age).

James Shackelford receives award for outstanding contributions to materials education

Please join the CHMS Department in congratulating Prof. James Shackelford!  Prof. Shackelford will be receiving the North American Materials Education Symposia’s inaugural award for outstanding contributions to Materials Education on Thursday, March 17, 2016.  He will also be speaking at the Symposium, where materials scientists discuss ideas, tools, and best practices for teaching materials across engineering, design, and science.