Group Members

Principle Investigator

Matthew J. Beck, Ph. D.
Associate Professor of Materials Engineering
Director of Undergraduate Studies (Materials Engineering)
Director of Graduate Studies (Materials Engineering)

Dr. Beck received his B.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, in 2000. He received his Ph.D. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, in 2005.

From 2005 to 2009, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate and, subsequently, a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vanderbilt University. In 2009, he joined the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, where he is an Associate Professor. He is a computational materials scientist whose research focuses on applying atomistic calculations to exploring the structure-property relationships governing processes involving the transfer of electrons (including thermionic emission) or the breaking and forming of chemical bonds. Recent projects have focused on mechanical, chemical and electronic effects arising from nanoscale structures and features.

Dr. Beck won the Provost’s Outstanding Teaching Award, the highest honor for teaching excellence at the University of Kentucky in 2015.  He won the Tau Beta Pi Dr. Bruce Walcott Service Award for scholarship, leadership, and service to the College of Engineering and the University of Kentucky in 2016, and the UK College of Engineering Outstanding Service Award in 2019.  Dr. Beck is extensively involved in outreach and recruiting for Materials Engineering and Engineering, generally, and presents to well over 1000 K-12 students every year.

Prof. Beck’s CV
Google Scholar Profile

Current Graduate Students

Mujan N. Seif
B. S. in Materials Science & Engineering
University of Kentucky

Mujan N. Seif received her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2017 from the University of Kentucky. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Kentucky under the direction of Dr. Matthew J. Beck. Her current research focuses on using atomistic calculations to investigate the underlying structure-property relationships that affect the operation of high-performance thermionic dispenser cathodes. As a recent recipient of a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Fellowship, she is designing materials with improved response to hypervelocity impacts as related to Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) protection.

After completing her undergraduate degree, she spent the following year working as a research assistant in Dr. Katsuyo Thornton’s Computational Materials Group at the University of Michigan. She served on society-level GradSWE, a sub-group of the Society of Women Engineers, for her first two years as a graduate student. In January 2019, she founded GradSWE at the University of Kentucky, and currently serves as its Director. She is pursuing a career in academia.

Mujan N. Seif’s Research Website

Sarah O’Brien
B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering, University of Minnesota

Ph. D. in Materials Engineering, expected 2024, University of Kentucky

Sarah O’Brien, originally from Huntington Beach, California, received her B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Minnesota: Twin Cities in May of 2020. She has currently joined Dr. Beck’s research group in the pursuit of her Ph.D. Her current research is the characterization of multi-principal element alloys (MPEA) on an Army Research Lab project. The ultimate research goal is to study the characterization of 3D printed metals. As a recipient of the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Fellowship, Sarah splits her time between courses, being a teaching assistant, and research.

Throughout her education, Sarah has held multiple internships in materials science and engineering. During the summer of 2015, she worked as an intern at Boeing in Huntington Beach where she began a study of thermal conductivity of lunar regolith, lunar sand. She returned to Boeing in the summer of 2019, and she developed a study on the chemical milling on 3D printed aluminum and titanium.

Shankar Miller-Murthy
B.S. in Electrical Engineering and B.S. in Materials Engineering, University of Kentucky
M.S. in Materials Engineering, expected 2022, University of Kentucky

Shankar Miller-Murthy graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2020 with dual bachelor’s degrees in Materials Engineering and Electrical Engineering. Following a brief stint of undergraduate research under Dr. Todd Hastings (University of Kentucky) he joined Dr. Matthew Beck’s lab to perform computational research on scandate cathodes. His current project investigates the energetic favorability of various tungsten surface structures incorporating scandium. Shankar’s other scientific interests include nanotechnology, renewable energy, and sustainable engineering. Due to his recent graduation Shankar has no published papers or patents just yet. He spends his free time with friends on tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons.

Current Undergraduate Researchers

Katherine Moody
B.S. in Materials Engineering, expected 2021, University of Kentucky 

Katherine Moody grew up in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She started at the University of Kentucky in the Fall of 2017 as a Biology major on the pre-vet track. Katherine switched majors her sophomore year to Materials Engineering. She had the opportunity to complete a cooperative working semester in Fall 2019 at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center.

Her work included designing materials and extrusion processes to 3D print heatshields, as well as computationally modelling the heatshield material during its ablative phase. Katherine began doing research with Dr. Beck in the Fall of 2018, studying thermomechanical behavior of carbon fiber ablatives. Her current work is focused on studying the geometry and thermomechanical behavior of sintered powders.

Naji Mashrafi, B. S. in Materials Engineering, expected 2024.

Mr. Ryan Griffiths, B. S. in Materials Engineering, expected 2024.

Former Graduate Students

  • Dr. Evan Hyde — Ph. D. in Materials Engineering, 2020
  • Dr. Qunfei Zhou — Ph.D. in Materials Engineering, 2016 – currently Northwestern University
  • Dr. Jie Pan — Ph.D. in Materials Engineering (co-advisor), 2016 – currently NREL
  • Dr. Xing Huang — Ph.D. in Materials Engineering, 2014 – currently CHPC Washington University in St. Louis
  • Dr. Daniele Scopece — Ph.D. University of Milano-Biccoca, Visiting Graduate Research Assistant, 2010

Former Undergraduate Researchers

  • Ms. Sydney Kolnsberg — B. S. in MSE, expected 2022. Project: Cathode image characterization and data organization, Fall 2019-Spring 2019.
  • Ms. Heidi Hanes — B. S. in MSE, 2021. Project: Thermionic cathodes, Fall 2019
  • Mr. David Jenkins — B. S. in MSE, 2021. Project: Metal Oxide Dissolution in Acid Solutions (NIST), Spring 2019.
  • Mr. Thomas Chaney — B. S. in MSE, 2020. Project: Metal Oxide Dissolution in Acid Solutions (NIST), Spring 2018.
  • Ms. Mary Martin — B. S. in MSE, 2017. Project: Nanoporous Silicon: Probing Dimensionally Constrained Deformation in Non-Metals (NSF CMMI), Summer 2015–Summer 2017.
  • Ms. Mujan Seif — B. S. in MSE, 2017. Project: Nanoporous Silicon: Probing Dimensionally Constrained Deformation in Non-Metals (NSF CMMI), Fall 2015–Summer 2017.
  • Mr. Matthew Turner — B. S. in CS, 2017. Project: Nanoporous Silicon: Probing Dimensionally Constrained Deformation in Non-Metals (NSF CMMI), Fall 2015.
  • Ms. D. J. Richardson — B. S. in CS (Northeastern University), 2018. Project: Nanoporous Silicon: Probing Dimensionally Constrained Deformation in Non-Metals (NSF CMMI), Summer 2014, 2015, 2016.
  • Mr. Evan Bush — B. S. in MSE, May 2015. Projects: Polymer Aging Lab, Fall 2014, Nanoporous Silicon: Probing Dimensionally Constrained Deformation in Non-Metals (NSF CMMI), Spring 2015.
  • Mr. Connor Callaway — B. S. in MSE, May 2015. Ph.D., Georgia Tech, 2021. Projects: Piezoelectrics Lab, Fall 2014, Nanoporous Silicon: Probing Dimensionally Constrained Deformation in Non-Metals (NSF CMMI), Spring 2015.
  • Ms. Allison Wisniewski — B.S. in Chemical Eng., May 2015. Project: Corrosion Lab, Spring 2015.
  • Mr. Cory Abeling — B.S. in MSE, May 2016. Project: Portable Aluminum Furnace, Fall 2014.
  • Ms. Jessie Smith — BS in MSE, May 2015. Project: Glass Strengthening Lab, Fall 2014.
  • Ms. Michelle Wolf — BS in MSE, May 2016. Project: Miscibility Demonstration, Fall 2014.
  • Mr. Robert Woods — BS in Chemical Engineering, May 2014. Project: Coatings for Light-Actuated Nanoscale Topography (NSF CMMI), Fall 2013-Spring 2014.
  • Ms. Rui Lui — BS in Mathematics, April 2013. Project: Explicit Time Integration TDDFT, Fall 2011-Spring 2013.
  • Ms. Megan LaRue — (co-Advisor) BS in CS (Kentucky State University), May 2012, MS in CS (KSU), December 2013. Project: Socorro Code Analysis 2012-2014.