Connecting structure, interfaces, and behavior.
My research asks how interfaces, chemical order and surface condition set the properties of structural metals.
I combine atom probe tomography, electron microscopy and in-situ mechanical testing on the same sample to understand how defects and interfaces govern behavior, with applications in alloys for high-temperature and extreme environments.
Three connected themes.
Interfaces that move
Grain boundaries, twins, and interfaces during deformation, in-situ experiments, and defect-interface interactions.
Active project · publication pending
Atoms that order
Short-range order, segregation, nanoscale chemistry, and their effects on structure and properties.
Active project · publication pending
Surfaces that fail
Wear, tribology, surface degradation, and the link between structure, chemistry, and mechanical response.
Learn more →Questions driving the work.
Why can some interfaces migrate unexpectedly under stress or cryogenic conditions?
How can short-range order be distinguished from defects or artifacts?
When does local chemistry reflect real segregation versus a measurement artifact?
How do microstructure and surfaces govern mechanical or tribological response?
Toward materials that matter.
Materials fail at surfaces and interfaces, at a scale a microscope can see but a component cannot show. The goal is to connect the two, one interface at a time, until failure can be designed against rather than found afterwards.