Materials science across scales
Assistant Professor · University of Wyoming
Designing alloys and disordered materials for nuclear, high-temperature, and extreme environments through first-principles calculations, atomistic simulations, machine learning, and experiments.
About me
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming. My research integrates computational, data-driven, and experimental methods to understand and design materials for nuclear, energy, aerospace, and extreme environments.
My work spans chemical disorder, phase stability, refractory and high-entropy materials, lattice dynamics, thermal transport, mechanical behavior, oxidation resistance, and radiation tolerance. I enjoy developing computational methods, synthesizing alloys, and working with interdisciplinary teams to connect theory with measurable materials behavior.
Teaching and mentoring are central to my work. I aim to help students become independent researchers who can question assumptions, build useful models, and test ideas rigorously.
Academic background
Lehigh University · Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Dissertation: Additives in Solid-Solutions: Understanding Structural Properties of Alloys From Electron & Phonon Dynamics
Advisor: Prof. Ganesh Balasubramanian
Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad · India
SGSITS · Indore, India
Research at a glance
Four connected questions link atomic-scale mechanisms to materials that must perform under demanding conditions.
Refractory alloys, oxidation-resistant materials, radiation-tolerant systems, and structural materials for nuclear and high-temperature service.
High-entropy materials, short-range order, amorphization, competing crystal structures, and entropy-mediated phase selection.
Lattice dynamics, vibrational entropy, phonon scattering, thermal conductivity, and composition–transport relationships.
High-throughput computation, interpretable machine learning, interatomic potentials, and integrated computational–experimental workflows.
Research group
Based at the University of Wyoming, the laboratory studies how chemistry, disorder, defects, vibrations, and processing govern materials performance. We connect alloy theory with data science, synthesis, and characterization.
Selected work
Collabrative work lead by Dr. Kim and Prof. TeYu Chien. Direct observation and atomistic interpretation of local chemical ordering in high-entropy alloy.
Read in Nature Communications
Understanding how mass, bonding, structure, and disorder reshape vibrational dynamics and thermal transport.
View related publications
An interactive dataset connecting high-throughput DFT calculations and machine learning for binary magnesium compounds.
Explore MagMasterProfessional journey
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering and School of Energy Resources
2026–present
Postdoctoral Fellow, Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute
2024–2026
Visiting Scientist, Materials Sciences and Engineering
2023–2024
Materials Scientist/Engineer, Thermal Protection Materials Branch
2022