Lead
Peter C Collins
Professor
Entrepreneural Fellow
Materials Science & Engineering
Iowa State University
515-294-5127
pcollins [at] iastate.edu
Ph.D., Materials Science & Engineering, The Ohio State Univ., 2004
M.S., Materials Science & Engineering, The Ohio State Univ., 2001
B.S., Metallurgical Engineering, University of Missouri-Rolla, 1999
Selected Honors and Awards
- Ohio Advanced Technology Summit Award – Measurements and Instrumentation – Methods for Remote Microscopy (2007)
- Early Career Award for Research and Creativity – Univ. North Texas (2013)
- Akinc Award for Excellence in Teaching – Iowa State Univ. (2017)
- Henry Marion Howe Medal – ASM best paper (2019)
- Champion H. Mathewson – TMS/AIME best paper (2019)
Senior Leadership
Thomas Ales
Research Associate II
tkales [at] iastate.edu
“I used to be an artist, but then I had to pay rent.”
Specialty: Synthesis. Design. Integration
Toolkits: Development. Microscopy. Photography.
Projects: Developing the first 3D spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy (SRAS) and applying it to address nonferrous problems.
MS Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 2018
BS Materials Science & Engineering,Univ. of North Texas, 2014
AS Science, North Central Texas College, 2009
Yuan Ji
Postdoctoral Fellow
yuanji [at] iastate.edu
“Positive feedback makes you motivated, negative feedback makes you stabilized, and you need both in your life”
Specialty: Circuit Design. Embedded System. Eddy Current. Computer Vision
Toolkits: Altium Designer, FEM Simulation, OpenCV
Project: Advanced materials characterization of defects and damage using nondestructive techniques.
Ph.D, Electrical Engineering, Iowa State University,2016
B.S, Information Engineering, Southeast University(Nanjing, China), 2008
Maria J. Quintana
Postdoctoral Fellow/Visiting Scholar
Universidad Panamericana, Facultad de Ingeniería
mariaqh [at] iastate.edu
“Materials engineer by day. Fossil collector and Formula 1 fan in my free time.”
Specialty: Physical Metallurgy. Mechanical Behavior. Microscopy.
Toolkits: Phase Transformations. Electron Microscopy. Mathematics.
Project: Exploring the role of phase transformations during AM of Ti- and Ni-based alloys. Researching the mathematical fundamentals of TEM tomographic techniques.
PhD, Science and Technology of Materials, University of Oviedo, 2013
The Team
Scott Blazanin
Graduate Research Associate
M.S. Student
blazanin [at] iastate.edu
“I have never allowed my education to get in the way of my learning.”
Specialty: Non-ferrous metallurgy. Fracture & failure analysis. Investment casting.
Toolkits: Project management. Microscopy.
Project: Fracture and crack growth in advanced non-ferrous structural alloys (Ti-6Al-4V, high strength aluminum).
B.S., Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 2019
Amamchukwu B. Ilogebe
Graduate Research Associate
Ph.D. Student
ailogebe [at] iastate.edu
“I am proud to be a Materials Engineer, the bedrock of science.”
Specialty: Additive Manufacturing. Metallurgy.
Toolkits: Metallography. Experimentation. Dedication.
Project: Understanding thermal gyrations on microstructural evolution in Ni-based superalloys.
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, North Carolina A&T State Univ., 2017
B.S., Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Enugu State University and Technology, Nigeria, 2008
Matt Kenney
Graduate Research Associate
M.S. Student
“I like to solve puzzles. One script at a time.”
Specialty: Image processing. Computer scripting.
Toolkits: Microscopy. Automated Feature Quantification. 3D Image Processing.
Project: Analyzing and quantifying defects in additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V in 3D.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 2015
Katie O’Donnell
Graduate Research Associate
Ph.D. Student
katieo1 [at] iastate.edu
“I’ve been fascinated by materials science before I knew materials science was a ‘thing‘.”
Specialty: Metallurgy. Additive Manufacturing.
Toolkits: Materials Characterization. Phase Transformations.
Project: Assessing the influence of temperature and stress gradients on microstructure in nonferrous alloys.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Clemson Univ. 2015.
Alana Pauls
Jointly advised (Thuo group) Graduate Research Associate
B.S./M.S. Student
ampauls [at] iastate.edu
“As Einstein said, ‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough’, so I try to understand a little more each day.”
Specialty: Metallurgy. Undercooling.
Toolkits: Characterization. Experimentation.
Project: Quantifying Defects in Metallic AM Builds using Magnetic Levitation.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 2021
Andrew Temple
Graduate Research Associate
Ph.D. Student
ajtemple [at] iastate.edu
“A wannabe welder turned materials engineer.”
Specialty: Physical Metallurgy.
Toolkits: Experimentation. Characterization. Leadership.
Project: Studying the microstructure-property relationships in SLM Ti-alloys, including in the beta Ti-alloys. Developing machine learning approaches.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 2017
Noah Welch
UG/G Research Associate
B.S./M.S. Student
njwelch [at] iastate.edu
“Good with metals. Imperfect with words. Part time musician.”
Specialty: Phase transformations, characterization, additive manufacturing.
Toolkits: Microscopy. Metallography.
Project: Structure-property relationships in RCCAs.
B.S. degree requirements will be completed in Sp. 2021 before beginning my graduate program.
Matt Dolde
UG Research Assistant
mdolde [at] iastate.edu
“What is research but a blind date with knowledge.”
Specialty: Additive Manufacturing. Prototyping.
Toolkits: Metallography. CAD.
Project: Researching new methods in low-cost metal AM.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., Fall 2021
Madison Harrington
UG Research Assistant
madisonh [at] iastate.edu
“Your local crazy plant, rock, and tea lady who dabbles in science”
Specialty: Physical Metallurgy. Microscopy. Titanium.
Toolkits: Characterization. Additive Manufacturing.
Projects: Microstructural characterization of SLM beta Ti-alloys. Microphotogrammetry.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., Sp. 2021
B.A., Religious Studies, Iowa State Univ., Sp. 2021
Grant Johnson
UG Research Assistant
grantajo [at] iastate.edu
“Slowly learning about what gives a thing its thinginess, one thing at a time.”
Specialty: Characterization. Corrosion. Failure Analysis.
Toolkits: Microstructural Analysis. Electron Microscopy. Metallography.
Project: Microstructural characterization of EBM Ti-64. Microphotogrammetry.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., Sp. 2021
John Kaman
UG Research Assistant
jwkaman [at] iastate.edu
“Living in a material world … and I am a materials guy.”
Specialty: Additive manufacturing. Audio. Powder Flow. Electronics.
Toolkits: Python. Zaber motion devices. Audio equipment. Fender Telecaster.
Projects: Acoustic delivery of powder.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., Sp. 2022
Robert Kaman
UG Research Assistant
rckaman [at] iastate.edu
“Physics thinker-abouter. Nothing understander.”
Specialty: Characterization. Modeling. Fundamentals.
Toolkits: 3D Modeling. Audio. Python.
Projects: Determining surface normals from point clouds. Modeling surface acoustic waves.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., Sp. 2022
Kelsey McInturff
UG Research Assistant
kmcintur [at] iastate.edu
“A materials enthusiast and data connoisseur.”
Specialty: Titanium. Statistics. Data Science.
Toolkits: R. VBA. Python.
Projects: Property predictions of SLM Ti-alloys. Microphotogrammetry.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., Sp. 2021
Mrinal Redij
Boeing Research Fellow
mredij [at] iastate.ed
“I believe only in atoms and space between them. Everything else is just an opinion.”
Specialty: Independent learning.
Toolkits: Photogrammetry.
Project: Qualitative analysis of additively manufactured titanium alloys.
Expected: B.S., Aerospace Engineering, Iowa State Univ.
Luke Weston
UG Research Assistant
llweston [at] iastate.edu
“If it walks like an arc welder, and it talks like an arc welder, it might be a 3D printer.”
Specialty: Metal AM, UI, NDE.
Toolkits: Automation, Image Processing.
Project: Researching new strategies in low-cost metal additive manufacturing.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., Sp 2022
Some Past Group Members
Iman Ghamarian
Post-doctoral Associate
Univ. of Michigan
“Learning materials science from different perspectives.”
Specialty: Orientation microscopy. Atom probe tomography. Deep learning.
Toolkits: ASTAR. LEAP 5000. PyTorch.
Ph.D. Thesis (2017, ISU): Application of Precession Electron Diffraction Technique to Quantitatively Study Defects in Nanocrystalline Metallic Materials
M.S. Thesis (2012, UNT): An Integrated Approach to Determine Phenomenological Equations in Metallic Systems.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Sharif Univ. of Technology
Matt Goode
—
—
“I am a MacGyver-like engineer that doesn’t know a whole lot about one thing, but a little about a lot of things.”
Specialty: System design and integration.
Toolkits: Networking. Motivation. CAD.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 2018
Yue Liu
—
Thermo Fisher Scientific (FEI)
“Not an averaged, average person.”
Specialty: Characterization.
Toolkits: Microscopy.
Ph.D. Thesis (2015, UNT): Precession Electron Diffraction Assisted Characterization of Deformation in alpha and alpha + beta Titanium Alloys
Somashekara MA
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Mech. Eng.
Indian Institute of Technology – Dharwad
“Researcher by chance, sustaining with endless energy and positive attitude.”
Specialty: Additive Manufacturing. Weld and laser deposition. Gradient objects.
Toolkits: Experimentalist. Teacher. Mentor. Leadership.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Subject (2017-2019): Development of a powder-blown directed energy deposition system for beam line experiments
Ph.D., IIT Hyderabad, India, 2016
M.Tech., IIT Hyderabad, India, 2011
Michael Mendoza
Assistant Professor
Instituto de Ciencias Navales y Marítímas, Universidad Austral de Chile
“A former oil & gas industry worker that discovered materials science is a lot more exciting.”
Specialty: Materials Characterization. Mechanical Properties. Physical Metallurgy. Finite element analysis.
Toolkits: Electron microscopy. Numerical simulations. New ideas. Mechanical tests.
Ph.D. Thesis (2019, ISU): On the influence of microstructural features of linear friction welding and electron beam additive manufacturing Ti-6Al-4V on tensile and fatigue mechanical properties.
M.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 2016
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Universidad Industrial de Santander, 2008
Peyman Samimi
Senior Additive Metallurgist
GE Transportation/Wabtec
“If you are not enjoying your graduate school experiences, chances are you are doing it wrong.”
Specialty: Additive Manufacturing. Metallurgy.
Toolkits: Materials Characterization. Design of Experiment. Materials Processing.
Ph.D. Thesis (2015, UNT): Combinatorial assessment of the influence of composition and exposure time on the oxidation behavior and concurrent oxygeninduced phase transformations of binary Ti-x systems
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Sharif Univ. of Technology
Brian Martin
Applications and Testing Engineer
Dynamic Systems Incorporated (Gleeble)
“TBD.”
Specialty: Physical Metallurgy. Additive Manufacturing. Process simulation.
Toolkits: Experimental Design. Microscopy. Gleeble.
M.S. Thesis (2018, ISU): Development of a novel, bicombinatorial approach to alloy development, and application to rapid screening of creep resistant titanium alloys.
M.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 2018
B.S., Applied Physics, SUNY Geneseo, 2015
Adanma Akoma
Graduate Student
Dr. Lesley Frame, UConn
“Scientist by day, twinkle toes by night.”
Specialty: Metallurgy. Fractography. Microscopy. Root cause analysis.
Toolkits: Electron microscope. Electrolytic etching. Mechanical testing.
Current Project: Residual Stress Development in Aerospace Alloys.
B.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Univ. North Texas, 2016
Brian Hayes
Development Engineer
Howmet Aerospace
(from Dostoevsky) “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.”
Specialty: Metallurgy. Additive Manufacturing. Single crystal casting.
Toolkits: Microscopy. Additive Manufacturing.
M.S. Thesis (2018, ISU): Characterization of Ti-6-4 Produced Via Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing.
M.S., Materials Science & Engineering, Univ. of North Texas, 2015
B.S., Sociology, UNT, 2007