• Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
  • Member, National Academy of Engineering
  • Erle Nye ’59 Chair I
  • University Distinguished Professor
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George M. Pharr IV

Educational Background

  • Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University – 1979
  • M.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University – 1977
  • B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Rice University – 1975

Research Interests

    • Nanoindentation and small-scale mechanical testing
    • Mechanisms of plasticity and fracture, especially at small-scales
    • Finite element simulation of indentation contact
    • Contact mechanics
    • Dislocation modeling of plastic deformation

Certifications & Memberships

  • Fellow, the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) – 2015
  • Member, National Academy of Engineering – 2014
  • Fellow, Materials Research Society (MRS) – 2012
  • Fellow, American Society for Metals (ASM) International – 1995

Awards & Honors

  • Heyn Commemorative Medal, German Society for Materials Science – 2024
  • Albert Easton White Distinguished Teacher Award, American Society for Metals (ASM) International – 2023
  • William D. Nix Award, the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) – 2021
  • Nadai Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) – 2018
  • Innovation in Materials Characterization Award, Materials Research Society (MRS) – 2010
  • Humboldt Foundation Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists – 2007
  • Amoco Teaching Award for Superior Teaching, Rice University – 1994
  • Bradley Stoughton Award for Young Teachers of Metallurgy, ASM – 1984

Selected Publications

  • B. Merle, C.C. Walker, C.H. Zenk, and G.M. Pharr, "High Strain Rate Persistence of the Strength Anomaly in the L12 Intermetallic Compound Ni3Si Evidenced by Nanoindentation", Acta Materialia 284, 120598 (2025). DOI 10.1016/j.actamat.2024.120598
  • Yuwei Zhang, B.L. Hackett, Jiaqi Dong, K.Y. Xie, and G.M. Pharr, "Evolution of Dislocation Substructures in Metals via Ultra-high Strain Rate Nanoindentation", Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 120, e2310500120 (2023). DOI 10.1073/pnas.2310500120
  • B.L. Hackett, P. Sudharshan Phani, C.C. Walker, W.C. Oliver, and G.M. Pharr, "Advances in the Measurement of Hardness at High Strain Rates by Nanoindentation", Journal of Materials Research 38, pp. 1163-1177 (2023). DOI 10.1557/s43578-023-00921-1
  • Z.Y. Liang and G.M. Pharr, "Decoupling Indentation Size and Strain Rate Effects During Nanoindentation: A Case Study in Tungsten", Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 165, 104935 (2022). DOI 10.1016/j.jmps.2022.104935
  • O. Brazil, J.B. Pethica, and G.M. Pharr, "The Contribution of Plastic Sink-in to the Static Friction of Single Asperity Microscopic Contacts", Proceedings of the Royal Society A 477, 20210502 (2021). DOI 10.1098/rspa.2021.0502
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