Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Scott Beckman

Assistant Professor
Materials Science and Engineering
2220W Hoover Hall
Ames, IA 50011
Phone: (515) 294-1107
Fax: (515) 294-5444
sbeckman@iastate.edu

Education

  • Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, 2005
  • M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California
  • B.S. in Ceramic Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 1999  

Experience

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, 2008-present
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, 2007-2008
  • Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 2005-2007
  • Graduate Research Assistant , University of California, Berkeley, California, 1999-2005

Research Interests

  • Materials theory, atomic scale computational modeling
  • Materials by design: tailoring macroscopic properties by the control of atomic-, nano-, and micro- structures
  • Phase transitions in ferroelectric perovskites
  • Nanostructured material systems

Teaching

  • MSE 530 (Spring 2009) - Solid State Science

Select Publications

  • "Ideal barriers to polarization reversal and domain-wall motion in strained ferroelectric thin films", SP Beckman, XJ Wang, KM Rabe, and D Vanderbilt in Physical Review B, 79, 144124 (2009)
  • "Real-space pseudopotential method for first principles calculations of general periodic and partially periodic systems", A Natan, A Benjamini, D Naveh, L Kronik, ML Tiago, SP Beckman, and JR Chelikowsky in Physical Review B, 78, 075109 (2008)
  • "Switchable Ni-Mn-Ga Heusler nanocrystals", AT Zayak, SP Beckman, ML Tiago, P Entel, and JR Chelikowsky in Journal of Applied Physics, 104, 074307 (2008)
  • "Quantum confinement effects in Ge [110] nanowires", SP Beckman, JX Han, and JR Chelikowsky in Physical Review B, 74, 165314 (2006)
  • "Distortion and segregation in a dislocation core region at atomic resolution", X Xu, SP Beckman, P Specht, ER Weber, DC Chrzan, RP Erni, I Arslan, N Browning, A Bleloch, and C Kisielowski in Physical Review Letters, 95, 145501 (2005)

Graduate Student Researchers

  • Liwen Wan, 2009-Present

Undergraduate Student Researchers

  • Peter Huffman, 2009-Present
  • Kenneth Bayus, Summer 2009
  • Elena Plesco, Summer 2009