Two Professors Elected Fellows of American Physical Society

Two materials science and engineering professors have been elected fellows of the American Physical Society.

Vinayak Dravid, professor of materials science and engineering, was honored for seminal contributions to the materials physics of functional materials through the use of state of the art electron microscopy techniques. 

Chris Wolverton, professor of materials science and engineering, was honored for innovative contributions to atomic- and multi-scale computational materials physics, particularly in the area of phase stability of materials. 

Members of the society, which aims to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics, are elected fellows after extensive review. Receiving a fellowship reflects the honor and approbation their professional peers. Of the 14 new fellows from the Division of Materials Physics, the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science has two.

Dravid uses advanced microscopy and characterization techniques to meet emerging challenges and opportunities in nanoscale phenomena in diverse hard, soft and hybrid structures which have become the hallmark of modern materials science, engineering and technology. He and his group are investigating the synthesis, patterning and characterization of nanostructured materials such as metal/alloy nanocrystals, biomolecular nanopatterns (DNA/proteins), and interfaces between inorganic nanostructures and biomolecules.

Wolverton’s research is centered on computational materials science, specifically first-principles quantum mechanical simulation tools. These computational tools have advanced to the point now where materials may be "synthesized virtually", with their properties predicted on a computer before ever being synthesized in a laboratory. Wolverton’s research focuses on materials for alternative energies and sustainability, including hydrogen, batteries, light-weight metals, fuel cells, and thermoelectrics. His current research interests include the discovery of novel hydrogen storage materials, phase transformations in metallic and ceramic alloys, microstructural evolution during aging, and the theoretical prediction of new materials.