Women in STEM

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.

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.

Materials science and engineering distinguished professor Alexandra Navrotsky recently co-founded Thermodynamics Consortium (ThermoCon), which aims to connect thermodynamics researchers across multiple disciplines to promote thermodynamics research and deepen ties between academia, industry, national labs and equipment manufacturers.

Lauren Hughes graduated in 2018 with a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering. During her time at UC Davis, Lauren received a prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for her graduate-level research work with electron microscopy. Below, Lauren reflects on her time in the Materials Science and Engineering graduate program and where she is headed next.

Department of Materials Science and Engineering: What was your favorite thing about Davis?

About 70 doctoral students from different departments — Integrative Genetics and Genomics, Food Science, Microbiology, Materials Science and Engineering — fill room 1022 in the UC Davis Life Sciences building for course MCB 294, “Current Progress in Biotechnology.”

Christine Smudde is a Materials Science and Engineering graduate student at UC Davis. She conducts research in a material characterization lab with Professor Jeff Gibeling, where she analyzes fatigue, fracture and creep behavior in materials. She hopes to eventually collaborate with companies to find and supply materials to the growing materials industry.

Julie Soderlind – a graduate student in Material Science and Engineering with Professor Subhash Risbud’s research group – was selected among a highly competitive pool of applicants as the inaugural recipient of the UC-National Lab In-Residence Graduate Fellowship. Julie will have the unique opportunity to conduct research and receive training on additive manufacturing in Yong Han’s group at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Her Ph.D. project is on Magnesium Alloy Scaffolds for Biomedical Implant Applications.

Please join the CHMS Department in congratulating one of our graduate alumni, Miaofang Chi.  Chi does pioneering research in analytical electron microscopy at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she recently won three awards at the annual awards banquet.  She received the Director’s Award for Outstanding Individual Accomplishment in Science and Technology and the Early Career Researcher Award, in addition to being named Scientist of the Year.

Please join the MSE department in congratulating Lauren Hughes! Lauren Hughes, a Ph.D. student in Materials Science and Engineering, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Fellowship.  The fellowship provides three years of research funding in addition to professional development opportunities.