Meet Mark Asta

Mark Asta, Interim Dean and Roy W. Carlson Chair of Engineering

A leader in the field of computational materials science, Mark Asta is widely regarded for his accomplishments in academia and administration, as well as in research. 

Born in Tucson, Arizona, Asta was raised in California’s Central Valley, a region his family has made home for five generations. He is a “triple bear,” having received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from UC Berkeley in 1988, 1990 and 1993, respectively. He spent time as a staff scientist at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California, before turning to academia in 2010. He held faculty appointments at Northwestern University and UC Davis before joining UC Berkeley as a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE).

As the Arthur C. and Phyllis G. Oppenheimer Distinguished Professor in Advanced Materials Analysis at UC Berkeley, Asta leverages computational techniques and machine learning methods to model materials at the atomic level, advancing the understanding, discovery and design of materials that can withstand extreme conditions for energy and structural applications.

Asta has held numerous leadership positions, serving as the MSE department chair from 2012–17 and the director of the Materials Science Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) from 2018–22. At Berkeley Lab, he oversaw the expansion of the portfolio of materials research programs funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences, spanning programs in data-driven materials discovery and materials for microelectronics, quantum information and renewable energy.

In 2023, he was named the executive associate dean at Berkeley Engineering. In that role, he helped lead a number of key initiatives, including the development of the college’s strategic plan for the Berkeley Space Center and advancing the Resilient and Sustainable Engineering Initiative. He has also co-led efforts to support experiential learning opportunities at the Richmond Field Station as well as the process of ABET accreditation of undergraduate engineering programs. 

Among Asta’s numerous honors is election as fellow of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) and of the American Physical Society. He earned the TMS William Hume-Rothery Award, given to a scientific leader for exceptional and sustained scholarly contributions to the science of alloys, and the David Turnbull Lectureship Award from the Materials Research Society in recognition of his career contributions to the fundamental understanding of the science of materials. 

He has authored or co-authored more than 330 journal publications and sits on numerous boards and panels, including the director’s advisory committee for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Board of Governor’s Science and Technology Committee. Asta’s term as interim dean begins July 1, 2025.