Research Team - University of Alabama
Sadie Beck, PhD
Dr. Sadie Beck joined the University of Alabama’s Mechanical Engineering Department as an assistant professor in August of 2023. She has a multifaceted background that spans both academia and industry. She holds three degrees in mechanical engineering from The University of Alabama, and is a licensed professional engineer registered in the State of Alabama. She has authored multiple publications in the area of solid-state additive manufacturing material and mechanical performance evaluation, specifically exploring the process-structure-property performance mechanisms of aluminums as processed through Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD).
Keivan Davami, PhD
Dr. Keivan Davami joined the mechanical engineering faculty at The University of Alabama in July 2019 as an assistant professor. Before joining The University of Alabama, he was an assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering at Lamar University in Texas. He was a research fellow in the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C. as well as a postdoctoral research scholar at the University of Pennsylvania prior to joining Lamar University.
Davami’s research interests are focused on advanced manufacturing and surface modification techniques, in particular, additive manufacturing and laser shock peening, as well as metamaterials and micro/nano fabrication.
Davami’s research interests are focused on advanced manufacturing and surface modification techniques, in particular, additive manufacturing and laser shock peening, as well as metamaterials and micro/nano fabrication.
Gregory, Kubacki, PhD
Dr. Gregory Kubacki’s research interests focus on the structure-property relationships that affect the corrosion behavior of structural and biomedical alloys processed through advanced fabrication methods, such as laser-based or solid-state additive manufacturing. He is also interested in exploring how local environmental conditions influence passivity and electrochemical processes on metal surfaces to better understand corrosion initiation events and predict long-term performance.
Before joining the MTE department at UA, Kubacki was a post-doctoral research associate in the Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia where he focused on atmospheric corrosion of aluminum alloys.
Before joining the MTE department at UA, Kubacki was a post-doctoral research associate in the Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia where he focused on atmospheric corrosion of aluminum alloys.
Nilesh Kumar, PhD
Nilesh Kumar is an assistant professor in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at The University of Alabama. Before this, he was a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University Raleigh and the University of North Texas Denton.
He obtained his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Missouri University of Science & Technology Rolla. A common theme that cuts across all the research work Dr. Kumar has carried out so far is establishing a correlation among processing, microstructure, and mechanical properties of metallic materials used across industries.
He has published so far forty-six (46) papers in peer-reviewed journals, co-authored four (4) books, and contributed four (4) book/handbook chapters. Dr. Kumar is a member of several scientific organizations and has been a reviewer for more than two dozen scientific journals. He is the recipient of the Kent D. Peaslee Junior Faculty Award by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) Foundation for 2019–2020. He was awarded the title “AIST Foundation Steel Professor” in 2022 by the AIST Foundation. Dr. Kumar also received the NSF CAREER award in 2024.
He obtained his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Missouri University of Science & Technology Rolla. A common theme that cuts across all the research work Dr. Kumar has carried out so far is establishing a correlation among processing, microstructure, and mechanical properties of metallic materials used across industries.
He has published so far forty-six (46) papers in peer-reviewed journals, co-authored four (4) books, and contributed four (4) book/handbook chapters. Dr. Kumar is a member of several scientific organizations and has been a reviewer for more than two dozen scientific journals. He is the recipient of the Kent D. Peaslee Junior Faculty Award by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) Foundation for 2019–2020. He was awarded the title “AIST Foundation Steel Professor” in 2022 by the AIST Foundation. Dr. Kumar also received the NSF CAREER award in 2024.
Mark Weaver, PhD
Dr. Mark Weaver’s primary research interests include microstructural characterization, oxidation and high-temperature corrosion, mechanical behavior, tribology, Atom Probe Tomography/Microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. His research focuses on establishing the fundamental linkages between the microstructures and properties of materials.
Weaver’s current areas of research include processing and properties of protective coatings for high temperature applications; deformation and fracture behavior of structural alloys; phase transformations and phase equilibria in high temperature shape memory alloys, intermetallic compounds, and high entropy alloys; and solid-state processing of metallic structural alloys. His active research topics are: Oxidation behavior of high entropy alloys and related materials. High-rate deformation mechanisms in high-entropy alloys containing nanocrystalline grains
Weaver’s current areas of research include processing and properties of protective coatings for high temperature applications; deformation and fracture behavior of structural alloys; phase transformations and phase equilibria in high temperature shape memory alloys, intermetallic compounds, and high entropy alloys; and solid-state processing of metallic structural alloys. His active research topics are: Oxidation behavior of high entropy alloys and related materials. High-rate deformation mechanisms in high-entropy alloys containing nanocrystalline grains