Two world-renowned researchers, both members of the National Academy of Engineering, will be joining the faculty of the Texas A&M University College of Engineering this spring semester. Dr. Ali Erdemir joins the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering in January, and Dr. Ned Thomas will join the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in June.
Dr. Ali Erdemir
Erdemir joins Texas A&M as a TEES (Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station) Eminent Professor from Argonne National Laboratory, where he served as a distinguished fellow and senior scientist.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Istanbul Technical University in metallurgical engineering and his master’s and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
His current research is directed toward the development of novel tribological technologies for a broad range of applications in manufacturing, transportation, and other energy conversion and utilization systems.
Erdemir has served as president of the International Tribology Council and the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers. He has published more than 300 papers, holds 23 U.S. patents and has generated more than 18,000 citations.
He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2019.
Dr. Ned Thomas
Thomas, who will join as a professor and Hagler Fellow, previously served as dean of Rice Engineering and also as department head of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst and a doctorate in materials science and engineering from Cornell University.
Thomas founded MIT’s Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies in 2002 with support from the U.S. Army Research Office. He developed several new materials and pioneered research areas that led to the discovery of important technologies for better soldier protection and revolutionized minimally invasive surgeries. He has over 20 patents issued, three of which are commercially licensed.
He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2009.