Mitra Taheri, the newest professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and Director of the MCP has been recognized by the U.S. Office of Naval Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Award. With the MURI Award, Mitra will lead a team from JHU, Northwestern, UVA, and Arizona State Universities in an effort to harness high-throughput experiments and computing to fast-track the development of successful combinations of high-entropy alloys. Mitra and her team will be utilizing in Situ characterization and professing methods in concert with machine learning in the hopes of expediting materials discovery; this is a cornerstone of the MCP’s capabilities.
Her work focuses on reducing the time needed to determine which alloy combinations are viable for testing, Mitra and her research team can not only begin testing but using in situ microscopy, they can watch the new alloys’ reactions to real-life and extreme conditions live. For the Navy, this type of testing is critical – the sooner the alloys are tested, the sooner applications for the materials can start being developed (i.e. lightweight, corrosion-resistant materials or materials for hypersonic environments, etc.) Taheri has partnered with various industrial entities with expertise ranging from metals manufacturing to informatics and has international components with partners in Paris and Australia. With these collaborations, she hopes to include machine learning in every aspect and to create tech-transfer for new materials in the future.
The MURI focuses on reducing the time needed to determine which alloy combinations are viable for testing. Mitra and her research team will test using in situ microscopy and other characterization methods, with which they can watch the new alloys’ reactions to real-life and extreme conditions live. For the Navy, this type of testing is critical – the sooner the alloys are tested, the sooner applications for the materials can start being developed (i.e. lightweight, corrosion-resistant materials or materials for hypersonic environments, etc.)
In a time when there is more interdisciplinary collaboration than ever and the traditional dichotomy of academia vs. industry is becoming a thing of the past, Mitra hopes to put JHU’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Materials Characterization and Processing center (MCP) on the forefront.
“I think interdisciplinary collaboration and more opportunities for academia and industry to work together can lead to critical breakthroughs in a cross-cutting manner. With JHU’s excellence in medicine, engineering and sciences, and a budding community in data science and artificial intelligence, we have the opportunity to truly push boundaries. The MCP will be a place where we can come together toward new technology and advancement that would otherwise be impossible without this combination of expertise and infrastructure” says Taheri.
Congratulations Professor Taheri and welcome to the JHU DMSE family!
