Baylor is home to an array of faculty and labs that pursue research in Materials Science. Working individually and across a range of colleges, schools, and departments, these faculty have garnered external funding, provided high-impact learning experiences for undergraduate and graduate students, and are identifying solutions to challenges facing high-visibility industries. Research funding for materials science comes from a wide range of sources, including the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Army Research Labs, the Air Force Research Labs, the Department of Energy, and many industrial partners.

Structural and Multifunctional Materials Track

• Dr. Paul Allison conducts research characterizing the structure-property-processing relations of a variety of material systems to support basic and applied research projects. The research examines different material systems, including ferrous and non-ferrous alloys, ceramics, cementitious materials, biomaterials, and bio-inspired nanocomposites across multiple-length scales at quasi-static and dynamic loading rates.
• Dr. Trevor Fleck's research focuses on various aspects of the additive manufacturing (AM) process, including novel materials development, in situ process monitoring and process enhancement capabilities, and AM component qualification. His experience in additive manufacturing spans multiple AM techniques, including fused filament fabrication, inkjet printing, and direct ink writing.
• Dr. David Jack examines constitutive modeling of contemporary composite processes, rigid and flexible suspension dynamics, and mechanics-based modeling of contemporary composite products. Dr. Jack's additional current research interests are conductivity analysis of carbon nanotube networks for high current applications, non-destructive evaluation of composites using ultrasonic techniques, and large-scale simulations of oil well casings with spatial and temporal properties.
• Dr. Brian Jordon's research focuses on understanding the influence of microstructure on mechanical behavior in order to model materials and structures for superior performance. His interests include fatigue and fracture, process-structure-property relationships, constitutive modeling of plasticity and damage, simulation modeling of welding and joining, and solid-state additive manufacturing.
• Dr. Abhendra Singh's research interests lie in ceramic matrix composites, emerging materials for hypersonic applications, hybrid multifunctional composite structures, and modeling of damage in composite structures.
• Dr. Douglas E. Smith's research foci include the development of finite element methods for simulation-based design, inverse analyses, and computational biomechanics with a focus on design sensitivity analysis, multidisciplinary analysis and optimization, and reliability-based design. Applications include polymer and composites processing, fiber orientation modeling, structural optimization, biomechanics, and thermo-mechanical response of lasers and railguns. This research includes theoretical development, computer implementation, and industrial application.
• Dr. Garritt Tucker’s research focuses on linking fundamental materials science with advanced manufacturing and processing techniques to lead future materials innovation - Computational Materials Science and Design. His expertise is in the area of integrating high-performance computing and theory to discover the fundamental structure-property relationships of materials that will enable the predictive design of advanced materials with tunable properties. Of particular interest are materials where defects and interfacial-driven properties can be effectively tuned or controlled to enable property enhancement. At the core of his group’s approach is to develop collaborations and programs that effectively mesh computation with experiments to tailor functional materials, and pursue novel informatics techniques to build predictive design strategies, while unraveling complex science at the nanoscale.
• Dr. Alex Yokochi's research and teaching interests focus on the process and reaction engineering applied to sustainability-related issues such as renewable energy production and modular electrical energy generation. Dr. Yokochi’s work includes advanced chemical process intensification and modular chemical engineering such as the direct conversion of methane to chemicals and liquid fuels using corona discharge instead of the traditional reforming plus synthesis pathway. In addition, he works on the development of advanced electrochemical approaches to energy conversion (e.g., fuel cells and batteries), grid-scale energy storage, water treatment, and the creation of novel materials with advanced properties through the development of nanocomposites.

• Dr. Dalong Zhang's materials science research takes a wholistic approach: advanced manufacturing of structural materials, powder metallurgy, and multi-scale characterization of micro-/nano-structures to understand process-structure-property relationship as well as radiation damages or the lack thereof (in nuclear and fusion materials). Specific areas of interests include manufacturing methods based on friction stir and severe plastic deformation, materials for extreme environment applications, and sustainable metallurgy.

Quantum and Optical Materials Track

• Dr. Luis Balicas’ research focuses on several fronts, i) synthesis of single crystalline materials, ii) properties of layered compounds and their heterostructures, iii) advanced material characterization including spectroscopic techniques such as neutron scattering. Main research thrusts include i) topological spin textures, such as merons and/or skymions as possible paradigms for new computational schemes or memory elements, ii) short channel heterostructures based on two-dimensional semiconductors as alternatives for the post Si electronics, iii) two-dimensional ferroelectric semiconductors for both memory and information processing, or as a candidates for non-van Neumann computing architectures, iv) near room temperature quantum coherent condensates (e.g. exciton condensates),  for novel technologies, v) quest for triplet or chiral superconductors.
• Dr. Julia Chan's research group is focused on the discovery of new families of quantum materials. Efforts are placed on the crystal growth of strongly correlated systems to determine the structures, electrical, magnetic, and transport properties of rare-earth intermetallics to understand emergent phenomena. She also serves as the Deputy Editor of Science Advances (AAAS).
• Dr. Alan Farhan is joining Baylor from Aalto University with research interests in nanomagnetism, multiferroics, and spectromicroscopy. Some of his most recently funded research concerns emergent phenomena in artificial frustrated systems and oxide superlattices, thermodynamics of artificial two-dimensional frustrated systems, and the direct observation of a dynamical glass transition in a nanomagnetic artificial Hopfield network.
• Dr. David Hilton’s research program focuses on the study of insulator-to-metal phase transitions in transition metal oxides and ultrafast investigations of high mobility 2DEGs and dichalcogenides. Primary research tools are ultrafast laser systems, nonlinear optical systems, and high magnetic field spectroscopy, both at Baylor as well as in collaboration with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, FL.
• Dr. Jonathan Hu's research focuses primarily on the areas of optics and photonics. Some of Dr. Hu's most recent scholarship and research concerns specialty optical fibers and negative curvature fibers, 2-D materials consisting of a single layer of atoms, nanophotonics and metamaterials, Mid-IR supercontinuum generation, and optical quantum communications.
• Dr. Jonathan M. Larson’s research focuses on characterizing the physical and chemical properties of energy storage and quantum materials’ surfaces and interfaces in order to catalyze strategic engineering and synthesis endeavors that are informed by basic science.  In these endeavors, multi-modal scanning probe based approaches are used that are capable of characterizing electrical, electrochemical, structural, mechanical, and optical properties at the nanoscale.  One primary approach leveraged is infrared nano-imaging and nano-FTIR, which is conducted both at Baylor University and Berkeley Lab, where Dr. Larson is also appointed as a research affiliate.
• Dr. JB Lee has research interests in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and micro-/nano-fabrication technologies. Dr. Lee applies the MEMS and fabrication technologies to various field of sensors (strain, pressure, greenhouse gas, electrochemical, and physiological sensors) and innovative devices using liquid metals (reconfigurable flexible stealth technology, self-healing tunable metasurface, artificial muscles, new type of ultrasensitive sensors).
• Dr. Ken Madsen's research focuses on the development and characterization of analytical electrochemical devices with projects ranging from biosensing to energy storage/conversion. One project area leverages in situ analytical methods, electrode microfabrication, and custom instrumentation to explore new methods for trace protein detection/analysis with applications in digital medicine. Another project area aims to use flexible electrode assemblies to study the chemical, thermal, and mechanical dynamics of energy storage systems including non-aqueous batteries.
• Dr. Linda J. Olafsen has research projects in areas such as mid-infrared semiconductor laser development, graphene-semiconductor optoelectronic devices, and endovascular navigation, including programming and characterizing shape-memory-alloy wire, the navigation in phantoms, and electrical properties/conduction/connections for powering emitters and detectors. She also has research interests in infrared imaging, ultrasonic imaging, LabVIEW programming, and beam profiling.
• Dr. Kevin L. Shuford's research group specializes in theory, modeling, and simulation of interdisciplinary problems spanning chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering. A variety of methods are employed to calculate atomic, molecular, and optical properties of gas and condensed phase systems, with an emphasis on structure, dynamics, and fundamental studies of light/matter interactions. Established research areas include ultrafast quantum dynamics of atoms, molecules, and semiconductors, nano-optics, and plasmonics. Most recently, the focus within the group has been on renewable energy generation and storage. Specifically, we are interested in exploring new materials and unique designs to enhance light capture and conversion efficiency in solar applications as well as boosting energy and power densities in electrical energy storage devices.
• Dr. Alan Wang has research interests in nano-photonic devices, optical sensing for biomedical research and environmental protection, board level optical interconnects and on-chip optical interconnects, silicon photonics, innovative micro- and nano-fabrication technology, and RF photonic devices and systems.
• Dr. Zhenrong Zhang's research is centered around energy and environment-related catalytic chemical physics, specifically, understanding the mechanisms and dynamics of catalytic reactions on metal oxides by using scanning probe microscopy (SPM) coupled with the Raman spectroscopy. The long-range goal of her research team is to develop and advance nanoscale imaging techniques for extremely-high resolution sensing (chemical, thermal, optical, and magnetic) in practical complex environments and see the eventual adoption of these techniques by the scientific community in both academic and industrial settings.