Materials science

Mark Asta appointed Materials Sciences Division Director at the Berkeley Lab

11/28/17 — Mark Asta has been appointed Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division Director. Asta will step down from his current position as chair of the department of materials science and engineering on January 1, 2018, in order to begin the new position.

Major progress in realizing new type of lithium cathode

11/02/17 Berkeley Lab — A team of Berkeley Lab scientists led by Gerbrand Ceder, professor of materials science and engineering, have reported major progress toward making lithium battery cathodes with so-called “disordered” materials.

Comparing potential solar fuel materials

Materials genome to solar fuels

11/01/17 — Berkeley Lab's Materials Project was deployed with great success in an effort to find new materials that hold promise for capturing more of the sun's energy.

Pete Bragg, materials science pioneer, dies at 98

10/20/17 — Robert Henry “Pete” Bragg, Jr., professor emeritus of materials science and engineering, passed away on Oct. 3 at the age of 98. Bragg joined the Berkeley faculty in June 1969, one of six African American faculty on campus at the time.

Single nanowires shown emitting different colors.

‘Soft’ semiconductors could transform HD displays

06/29/17 Berkeley Lab — A class of semiconductors called halide perovskites could usher in new generation of optoelectronic devices, according to Berkeley Lab scientists led by materials science and engineering professor Peidong Yang.

Dubón named vice chancellor of equity and inclusion

06/22/17 — Associate dean Oscar Dubón, professor of materials science and engineering, has been selected as UC Berkeley's next vice chancellor of equity and inclusion.

A new ferroelectric material developed at Berkeley Lab

Scientists help thin-film ferroelectrics go extreme

05/13/17 Berkeley Lab — Lane Martin, associate professor of materials science and engineering and faculty scientist at Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division, has created the first-ever polarization gradient in a thin film, greatly expanding the range of functional temperatures for ferroelectrics, a key material used in a variety of everyday applications.

Jungiao Wu and graduate students in the lab

The rule-breaker

05/01/17 — Professor of materials science and engineering Junqiao Wu has identified an outlier in the materials world: Vanadium dioxide can conduct electricity without conducting heat.

Sweating it out for science

03/01/17 Berkeley Research — In a Cory Hall lab converted into a high-tech mini-fitness center, researchers led by Bakar fellow and Berkeley Engineering professor Ali Javey trace the metabolic changes experienced by runners in real time, using a substance any good workout produces: sweat.

Gerbrand Ceder, Tsu-Jae King Liu and Katherine Yelick

3 professors named to National Academy of Engineering

02/13/17 — Three professors from Berkeley Engineering have been elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.

Eicke Weber assumes leadership of Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore

02/06/17 — Eicke Weber, a global leader in solar energy research, has been appointed director and chief executive officer of BEARS, the Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore. Weber returns to UC Berkeley after 10 years as director of the University of Freiburg's Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems.

Berkeley Lab scientists use a nano-Auger electron spectroscopy instrument to measure the content of materials.

For this metal, electricity flows, but not the heat

01/26/17 Berkeley Lab — A study led by MSE professor and Berkeley Lab physicist Junqiao Wu finds that electrons in vanadium dioxide can conduct electricity without conducting heat - a law-breaking property that could lead to applications in thermoelectrics and window coatings.

Dubón honored for enhancing campus diversity

01/06/17 — Oscar Dubón, MSE professor and the college's associate dean for student affairs and equity & inclusion, has been selected as the winner of UC Berkeley's 2016 Chancellor's Award for Advancing Institutional Excellence and Equity.

Alivisatos and Herr named National Academy of Inventors fellows

12/13/16 — Two Berkeley engineers - nanotechnology pioneer and materials scientist Paul Alivisatos and bioengineer Amy Herr - were among 175 distinguished academic inventors named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, along with Berkeley chemical engineer Enrique Iglesia.

Materials database speeds innovation

11/01/16 — Assistant professor of materials science and engineering Kristin Persson launched the Materials Project to provide a comprehensive materials database to speed up discovery and deployment of new technologies.

Gerbrand Ceder and his team of next-gen battery researchers

Next-gen batteries

11/01/16 — A team led by materials science professor Gerbrand Cedar has made an important discovery that could eventually lead to longer-lasting lithium batteries.

Brand new glue

11/01/16 — Inspired by marine mussels, professor Phillip Messersmith is developing a new kind of glue to be used in fetal surgery.

Portraits of seven Berkeley engineers named the Top Innovators Under 35 of 2016

7 Berkeley engineers among 35 top innovators under 35

11/01/16 — Five alumni - among seven engineers in all from the college - were named the Top Innovators Under 35 of 2016 by MIT Technology Review.

Fiona Doyle wins SME metallurgy award

09/21/16 — MSE professor Fiona Doyle, dean of the Graduate Division, has been selected by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration as the 2016 recipient of the Milton E. Wadsworth Award, which recognizes distinguished contributions that advance understanding of the science and technology of non-ferrous chemical metallurgy.

Wei Gao and his sensor wristband, and Sergey Levine

Seven Berkeley engineers named top innovators under 35

08/23/16 — Wei Gao, an EECS postdoc developing wearable sweat sensors to monitor health, and EECS assistant professor Sergey Levine, who helped pioneer “deep learning” for robots, are among seven Berkeley engineers on this year's list of top innovators under 35, compiled by MIT Technology Review.