Robert F. Speyer

Robert F. Speyer
robert.speyer@mse.gatech.edu

Speyer joined the MSE faculty in August, 1992 after serving on the faculty at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University for six years.  He has written one book (Thermal Analysis of Materials), with another one on the way, published over 125 refereed papers and has given over 150 technical presentations.

His present research group consists of seven graduate students and one Ph.D-level scientist. Dr. Speyer’s research has been funded by Navy, ARO, AFOSR, DARPA, Gas Research Institute, and private industry.  He was previously the president of Innovative Thermal Systems, a thermoanalytical scientific instrument company, and is presently the President of Verco Materials, a start-up company which will manufacture boron carbide armor .

He teaches courses in Chemical Thermodynamics of Materials, Thermal and Transport Properties of Materials, and Ceramic Technology.

Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering
Phone
404.894.6075
Office
Love 260
Additional Research

Thermal management; Ceramics; Modeling; Fabrication

IRI and Role
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Materials Science Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Built Environment Technologies

Suresh Sitaraman

Suresh Sitaraman
suresh.sitaraman@me.gatech.edu

Suresh Sitaraman is a Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, and leads the Flexible Hybrid Electronics Initiative at Georgia Tech and directs the Computer-Aided Simulation of Packaging Reliability (CASPaR) Lab at Georgia Tech. He is a Thrust Leader/Faculty Member, Reliability/Mechanical Design Research, 3D Systems Packaging Research Center; a Faculty Member, Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute; a Faculty Member, Interconnect and Packaging Center, an SRC Center of Excellence, Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology; a Faculty Member, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Nanotechnlogy Research Center, Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology; a Faculty Member, Institute of Materials. Dr. Suresh Sitaraman's research is exploring new approaches to develop next-generation microsystems. In particular, his research focuses on the design, fabrication, characterization, modeling and reliability of micro-scale and nano-scale structures intended for microsystems used in applications such as aerospace, automotive, computing, telecommunicating, medical, etc. Sitaraman's research is developing physics-based computational models to design flexible as well as rigid microsystems and predict their warped geometry and reliability. His virtual manufacturing tools are able to simulate sequential fabrication and assembly process mechanics to be able to enhance the overall yield, even before prototypes are built. Sitaraman's work is developing free-standing, compliant interconnect technologies that can mechanically decouple the chip from the substrate without compromising the overall electrical functionality. This work is producing single-path and multi-path interconnect technologies as well as nanowire and carbon nanotube interconnects for electrical and thermal applications, and such interconnect technologies can be employed in flexible as well as 3D microelectronic systems. Sitaraman's research is also developing innovative material characterization techniques such as the stressed super layer technique as well as magnetic actuation test that can be used to study monotonic and fatigue crack propagation in nano- and micro-scale thin film interfaces. In addition, Sitaraman has developed fundamental modeling methodologies combined with leading-edge experimentation techniques to study delamination in the dielectric material and copper interface used in back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) stacks and through-silicon vias as well as epoxy/copper and epoxy/glass interfaces as in microelectronic packaging and photovoltaic module applications. Examining the long-term operational as well as accelerated thermal cycling reliability of solder interconnects, his work has direct implications in implantable medical devices, photovoltaic modules, computers and smart devices as well as rugged automobile and aerospace applications. Through the above-mentioned fundamental and applied research and development pursuits, Sitaraman's work aims to address some of the grand challenges associated with clean energy, health care, personal mobility, security, clean environment, food and water, and sustainable infrastructure

Regents' Professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Morris M. Bryan, Jr. Professor, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Phone
404.894.3405
Office
MARC 471
Additional Research

Computer-Aided Engineering; micro and nanomechanics; Fabrication; Modeling; fracture and fatigue; Flexible Electronics; Emerging Technologies

IRI and Role
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Computing and Communication Technologies

Ankur Singh

Ankur Singh
ankur.singh@gatech.edu

Prof. Singh has a joint appointment with the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University.

Prof. Singh started at Cornell University as an Assistant Professor in 2013 and was promoted with tenure to Associate Professor with joint appointments in the Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. At Cornell, he served as the Associate Director of the NIH T32 training grant on Immuno-engineering, executive council of the Center for Immunology, and the Cornell (Ithaca) – Weill Cornell Medicine (NYC) Academic Integration initiative. Prior to joining Cornell, he completed his postdoctoral training in cell mechanobiology, cell-matrix interactions, and stem cell engineering at Georgia Tech in Mechanical Engineering.

Professor
IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems

Preet Singh

Preet Singh
preet.singh@mse.gatech.edu

Prior to joining MSE in July 2003 Professor Singh was a faculty member in Corrosion and Materials Engineering Group at The Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) since 1996.  While in IPST Singh worked on fundamental as well as applied research projects related to the corrosion problems in the pulp and paper industry. From 1990 to 1996, he was a Senior Research Associate at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, working on various materials and corrosion related research projects, including damage accumulation in metal matrix composites (MMCs), Environmental sensitive fracture of Al-alloys MMCs, and High temperature oxidation of Nb/Nb5Si3 composites. He received the Alcan International's Fellowship in 1988-90 to work on "Effects of Low Melting Point Impurities on Slow Crack Growth in Al Alloys,"  He has published over 50 papers in reputed scientific journals and conference proceedings. He is active member of NACE, TMS, TAPPI and has co-organized a number of international symposiums.

Reliable performance of the materials is very important for any industrial process and especially for the chemical process industry for the manufacture of a high quality product. Material selection is generally based on the required material properties, low initial capital investment, and minimum maintenance. Changes in the process parameters to improve products can often lead to higher corrosion susceptibilities of the plant materials. Moreover, with increase in capital cost, there is pressure to extend the life of existing plant equipment beyond its original design life. Corrosion and Materials Engineers are also playing a key role in selecting, maintaining, and modifying materials for changing needs for every industry. Corrosion Science and Engineering research includes understanding the basic mechanisms involved in material degradation in given environments and using that knowledge to develop a mitigation strategy against environment-induced failures

Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering
Associate Chair of Graduate Studies, School of Materials Science and Engineering
Phone
404.894.6641
Office
IPST 246
Additional Research

Composites; fracture and fatigue; stress corrosion; Materials Failure and Reliability; Biofuels; Chemical Recovery; Environmental Processes; Sustainable Manufacturing; Energy & Water; Corrosion & Reliability

IRI and Role
Renewable Bioproducts > Faculty
Energy > Research Community
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
Renewable Bioproducts
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Materials Science Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Built Environment Technologies

Richard Simmons

Richard Simmons
richard.simmons@me.gatech.edu

Richard Simmons is currently a Principal Research Engineer and Fellow at Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute (SEI) where he directs cross-cutting energy projects with an emphasis on clean electric power, vehicle efficiency and alternative fuels. Simmons is also director of the Energy Policy and Innovation Center (EPICenter) whose objective is to perform research and outreach in energy policy and innovation with a distinctively regional perspective. He is also a part-time instructor in Georgia Tech’s Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, with a specialization in design, mechatronics and thermal systems. 

Simmons received his BS from Georgia Tech, and MS and Ph.D. from Purdue, all in Mechanical Engineering. He is a licensed professional engineer (PE) with more than 20 years of RD&D experience in automotive, advanced materials, and alternative energy and fuels. 

From 2009 to 2012, he served a prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science S&T (Science and Technology) Policy Fellowship at the U.S. Department of State, providing technical analysis on international policy issues related to renewable energy. He has recently authored numerous publications including an open-access eBook entitled “Understanding the Global Energy Crisis” (Purdue Press, 2014), several book chapters and journal articles related to advanced energy technologies, transportation energy technology, and future energy policy strategies.

Director, Research and Studies
Principal Research Engineer
Phone
(404) 385-6326
Additional Research

Biofuels

IRI and Role
Energy > Core Faculty
Energy > Research Community
Energy > Staff
Energy > Leadership
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Built Environment Technologies

Minoru Shinohara

Minoru  Shinohara
shinohara@gatech.edu

Physiological and biomechanical mechanisms underlying fine motor skills and their adjustments and adaptations to heightened sympathetic nerve activity, aging or inactivity, space flight or microgravity, neuromuscular fatigue, divided attention, and practice in humans. He uses state-of-the-art techniques in neuroscience, physiology, and biomechanics (e.g., TMS, EEG, fMRI, single motor unit recordings, microneurography, mechanomyography, ultrasound elastography, and exoskeleton robot) in identifying these mechanisms.

Associate Professor; School of Biological Sciences
Phone
404.894.1030
Office
555 14th St | Suite 1309C
Additional Research

Neuromuscular Physiology

IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Robotics > Affiliated Faculty
Robotics
Bioengineering and Bioscience
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Sciences > School of Biological Sciences
Research Areas
Matter and Systems

A. Fatih Sarioglu

A. Fatih Sarioglu
sarioglu@gatech.edu

A. Fatih Sarioglu received the B.Sc. degree from Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey in 2003, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University in 2005 and 2010, respectively, all in Electrical Engineering.

Sarioglu worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering at Stanford University from 2010 to 2012. From 2012-2014, he was a research fellow at the Center for Engineering in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. In October 2014, he joined the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology as an assistant professor.

Sarioglu's research interests are at the interface of nano-/micro-engineering and biomedicine. He is particularly interested in developing N/MEMS-based technologies for biomedical applications.

Associate Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Phone
404.894.5032
Office
Pettit/MiRC 217
Additional Research

Nano- and Micro-systems for bio-molecular sensing and imagingMicrofluidic devices for cell sorting and disease detectionHigh-throughput bio-analytical instrumentation for cellular and molecular characterizationIntegrated platforms for point-of care diagnosticsImplantable medical devices for minimally-invasive health monitoring

IRI and Role
Bioengineering and Bioscience > Faculty
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
Bioengineering and Bioscience
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Human-Centric Technologies

Justin Romberg

Justin Romberg
jrom@ece.gateach.edu

Dr. Justin Romberg is the Schlumberger Professor and the Associate Chair for Research in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Associate Director for the Center for Machine Learning at Georgia Tech.

Dr. Romberg received the B.S.E.E. (1997), M.S. (1999) and Ph.D. (2004) degrees from Rice University in Houston, Texas. From Fall 2003 until Fall 2006, he was a Postdoctoral Scholar in Applied and Computational Mathematics at the California Institute of Technology. He spent the Summer of 2000 as a researcher at Xerox PARC, the Fall of 2003 as a visitor at the Laboratoire Jacques-Louis Lions in Paris, and the Fall of 2004 as a Fellow at UCLA's Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics. In the Fall of 2006, he joined the Georgia Tech ECE faculty. In 2008 he received an ONR Young Investigator Award, in 2009 he received a PECASE award and a Packard Fellowship, and in 2010 he was named a Rice University Outstanding Young Engineering Alumnus. He is currently on the editorial board for the SIAM Journal on the Mathematics of Data Science, and is a Fellow of the IEEE.

His research interests lie on the intersection of signal processing, machine learning, optimization, and applied probability.

Schlumberger Professor
Additional Research

Data Mining

IRI and Role
Data Engineering and Science > Affiliated Faculty
Data Engineering and Science > TRIAD Leadership
Data Engineering and Science
Artificial Intelligence > ITAB
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Computing and Communication Technologies

Ajeet Rohatgi

Ajeet Rohatgi
ajeet.rohatgi@ece.gatech.edu

Ajeet Rohatgi received the B.S. (E.E.) degree from Indian Institute of Technology in 1971, the M.S. (Materials Engineering) from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1973, and the Ph.D. in Metallurgy and Materials Science from Lehigh University in 1977. He joined the Westinghouse Research and Development Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1977 and became a Westinghouse Fellow while working on the science and technology of photovoltaic and microelectronic devices. Rohatgi joined the ECE faculty at Georgia Tech in 1985 and started a program on photovoltaics, which has become one of the best in the country. He has become an internationally recognized leader in photovoltaics. He is the founding director of the first university-based DOE Center of Excellence in Photovoltaic Research and Education. He is the author of more than 300 publications and holds 10 U.S. patents. Rohatgi has received numerous awards and distinctions from professional societies and Georgia Tech. He is the founder and CTO for Suniva.

Regents Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
John H. Weitnauer, Jr. Chair, College of Engineering
Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar
Phone
404.894.7692
Office
VL W121
Additional Research

silicon devices; solar cells; dielectrics; Compund Semiconductors; solar energy

IRI and Role
Energy > Research Community
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
Energy
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Engineering > School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Built Environment Technologies

D. Zeb Rocklin

D. Zeb Rocklin
zeb.rocklin@physics.gatech.edu

I have a broad range of interests in soft condensed matter physics and adjacent fields like statistical physics, physics of living systems and hard condensed matter. My particular focus is on the relationship between the geometric structure of a system and its mechanical response. Both biological and engineered systems often have some structure, such as networks of struts, particles jammed together or patterns of creases in thin sheets, that grant them flexibility and strength with a minimum of weight. These structures can lead to subtle and surprising mechanical response:

Assistant Professor, School of Physics
IMS Initiative Lead, Mechanical Metamaterials
Phone
404.385.8104
Additional Research

Condensed matter physics, statistical physics, physics of living systems, and hard condensed matter.

IRI and Role
Matter and Systems > Affiliated Faculty
University, College, and School/Department
Georgia Institute of Technology > College of Sciences > School of Physics
Research Areas
Matter and Systems
  • Built Environment Technologies
  • Frontiers in Infrastructure