Bockstaller named Alcoa Professor

Michael Bockstaller has been appointed as the Alcoa Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. In addition to his faculty role in the Materials Science and Engineering department, Bockstaller is the director of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Center of Excellence Center for Data-Driven Design of Multifunctional Material Systems. 

Endowed chairs are one of the highest recognitions that can be awarded to a faculty member, and they enable faculty to deliver on the breakthrough innovation and scholarly work that are hallmarks of the College of Engineering. 

“I am grateful for the opportunities that this appointment will provide for me to advance my research efforts and interdisciplinary partnerships as we aim to develop more sustainable and reliable materials,” noted Bockstaller. 

Professor Bockstaller is a world leader in heterogeneous polymer-based materials and his research aims to engineer materials with enhanced properties that contribute to the solution of contemporary material challenges.  Areas of special interest currently entail optical and thermal transport properties of polymer nanocomposites and the development of polymeric hybrid materials for applications in solid state lighting, as well as battery technologies.

Bockstaller has also been honored as a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and has been an Emmy Noether Grant recipient from the German Science Foundation.

“Michael is well-deserving of this recognition for his research leadership, scholarly accomplishments and educational impact,” said department chair Elizabeth Dickey. “Our department is fortunate to have someone with his level of commitment to advancing the field of materials science and engineering.”