Dr. Nickolaus Bruno ‘15, a former teaching assistant in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
Bruno earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northern Arizona University and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Texas A&M. He worked under Dr. Ibrahim Karaman, department head in materials science and engineering, while researching the magneto and elasto-caloric effects and multi-functionalities in magnetic shape memory alloys.
“With roots in mathematics and mechanical engineering, I developed a taste for understanding the behavior of solids,” Bruno said. “I now strive to understand why multi-functional and multi-ferroic materials exhibit their fascinating behaviors. In gaining this understanding, I hope to redefine the technological paradigms currently limiting scientific progress in the area of materials for energy conversion.”
Bruno has authored and co-authored nearly 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and served as a peer reviewer for over 30 articles in scientific journals. During his time at Texas A&M, he was awarded a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Trainee fellowship and, while working in industry, the Intel Technology and Manufacturing Group – Logic Technology Development Achievement Award. In 2017, he received the Reviewer Honorarium for Acta Materiala, which honors those who help ensure the continued quality of the journal.
He will begin his research and teaching appointment with the mechanical engineering department at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in spring 2018.