• Director of Graduate Programs, Materials Science & Engineering
  • Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
  • Presidential Impact Fellow
Michael J. Demkowicz

Educational Background

  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology – 2005
  • S.M., Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology – 2004
  • B.S., Aerospace Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin – 2000
  • B.S., Physics, The University of Texas at Austin – 2000
  • B.A., Plan II Liberal Arts Honors Program, The University of Texas at Austin – 2000

Research Interests

    • Fundamental mechanisms of damage and deformation in solids
    • Bridging experiments, simulations, and theory in materials science

Awards & Honors

  • Brimacombe Medal, The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) – 2022
  • Outstanding Teaching Award, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Graduate Materials Council – 2014, 2015
  • Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, National Science Foundation – 2012
  • Early Career Faculty Fellow Award, The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) – 2012
  • Postdoctoral Distinguished Performance Award, Los Alamos – 2007

Selected Publications

  • Sheu E, Liu TY, Williams DJ, Baldwin JK, Demkowicz MJ, "Permeation of niobium through grain boundaries in copper," Acta Materialia 274, 120002 (2024)
  • Duong T, Demkowicz MJ, "Resonance with surface waves induces forbidden velocity bands in dislocation glide," Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 180, 105422 (2023)
  • Demkowicz MJ, "A threshold density of helium bubbles induces a ductile- to-brittle transition at a grain boundary in nickel," Journal of Nuclear Materials 533, 152118 (2020)
  • Vattré A, Jourdan T, Ding H, Marinica C, Demkowicz MJ, “Non-random walk diffusion enhances the sink strength of semicoherent interfaces,” Nature Communications 7, 10424 (2016).
  • Seita M, Hanson JP, Gradecak S, Demkowicz MJ, "The dual role of coherent twins in hydrogen embrittlement", Nature Communications 6, 6164 (2015).
  • Xu GQ, Demkowicz MJ, "Healing of nanocracks by disclinations", Physical Review Letters 111, 145501 (2013).
  • Baumer RE, Demkowicz MJ, "Glass transition by gelation in a phase separating binary alloy", Physical Review Letters 110, 145502 (2013).