Gavin Latham, a Materials Science & Engineering doctoral student under the supervision of Xiuling Li, has been awarded a scholarship the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship-for-Service Program. The SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program provides scholarship recipients with full tuition, annual stipends, summer internships, and civilian employment in a DoD facility after graduation.
Subhashini Sugumar Wins in Empower Your Research Pitch Finals
Subhashini Sugumar, a Materials Science & Engineering graduate student, won the Overall Excellence in Research Communication award for her talk, "Reading a Battery's Mind."
Researchers, including Jean Anne Incorvia, have developed an electronic tattoo to track moisture levels in plant leaves, potentially leading to improvements in wildfire prediction, agricultural yields, water conservation and food security.
Published by UT News
Jin Yang Receives New ONR Grant for Tissue Thermomechanics Research
Jin Yang has been awarded a new three-year grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to advance research on the thermomechanical properties of biological tissues. The project, titled “Towards the Development of a Periodic Table of Dynamic Tissue Thermomechanical Properties,” aims to establish a systematic framework for understanding the behavior of tissue under changing conditions when hit with focused energy. This work has broad implications for biomechanics, defense applications, and next-generation biomedical engineering.
Yunlan Emma Zhang, an assistant professor in the Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and an affiliate faculty member of Texas Materials Institute, was recently awarded the Outstanding Technical Contribution Award from the Aerospace Division of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
MS&E student Min-Hao Pai, Kameron Liao from Mechanical Engineering, and Arumugam Manthiram have recently published in ACS Energy Letters. Titled “Lithium–Sulfur Batteries Enabled by Fluorine-Free Electrolytes with a Compressed Solvation Structure” the study introduces an innovative electrolyte design that improves the performance and stability of lithium sulfur (Li–S) batteries, which are currently one of the most promising energy storage systems.
Five faculty members affiliated with the Texas Materials Institute and from across the Cockrell School of Engineering have been awarded grants from the 2026 Strategic Energy Seed Grant Program, part of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austsin.
Professor Vaibhav Bahadur and his group have contributed to a new paper highlighting the impact of hydrogen on the cost of ammonia and biofuels. Ammonia is the basis for fertilizers, which in turn is essential for production of corn for biofuels like ethanol. This study analyzes and quantifies the interconnected economics of all these commodities. This paper brings together research at the intersection of chemical engineering, sustainable energy systems, and techno-economics.
Two New Publications Advance Innovative Synthesis Methods for Next-Generation Battery Materials
Two recent publications from Dr. Yijin Liu and his group highlight advances in battery material synthesis for improved performance and durability. One study introduces a new approach to produce more stable Ni-rich cathodes, while the other reveals mechanisms for forming high-performance single-crystal cathode materials. Together, the work supports more scalable and durable next-generation batteries.
MS&E graduate student Lehu Bu, under the mentorship of Dr. Jin Yang and in collaboration with Texas A&M University, has published a new paper in the Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids (JMPS), a flagship journal in solid mechanics. The study introduces AI methods to figure out how materials behave when they are stretched, squeezed, or deformed over time, while simultaneously predicting how stiff or stretchy the material is and estimate the stress inside it. This work advances the integration of material mechanics and AI, with broad applications in materials characterization and predictive modeling.
New Patent Application from Bahadur Group to Enable Produced Water Treatment
Professor Vaibhav Bahadur’s team recently filed a patent application for a novel saltwater treatment technology designed to overcome long-standing issues of fouling/scaling and corrosion associated with thermal desalination. The key innovation is transferring heat to water vapor, and using vapor to heat water, instead of directly heating water (which invariably leads to fouling and corrosion). This innovation can solve the age-old fouling problem and enable viable treatment of brackish water streams such as produced water and seawater. Clearly, many applications can benefit from this technology including water-hungry data centers situated in locations which lack freshwater.
Manufacturer of the Year: La Luce Cristallina
The Small Business Week is a nationwide celebration recognizing the impact of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators across the country. Hosted by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), this annual event highlights the vital role small businesses play in driving economic growth, creating jobs, and strengthening local communities.
We are proud to recognize La Luce Cristallina, led by Alex Demkov and Agham Posadas, as Manufacturer of the Year, to be honored at the SBA Small Business Week Awards on May 7, 2026!!
2026 TMI Distinguished Lectureship Award
On Thursday, April 2nd, Dr. Harish Bhaskaran from the University of Oxford gave the 2026 TMI Distinguished Lecturer Seminar. His talk, "Device-level photonics and optoelectronics for next-generation computing," was preceded by a lunch with faculty and students. TMI Director Jamie Warner presented Dr. Bhaskaran with the Distinguished Lectureship Award, recognizing him for his groundbreaking contributions to materials science.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Awardees
Two Materials Science & Engineering students have been awarded the NSF GRFP, which supports "outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, including STEM education. NSF GRFP was established to recruit and support individuals who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions in STEM, including STEM education." The 2026 awardees are Arvin Sharma (left), a student of Arumugam Manthiram, and Aisha Lizaola (right), a student of Filippo Mangolini.
Special Seminars: Lars Nilsson & Liangbo Liang
Thank you to all the graduate students who came out to our Graduate Student Appreciation Week lunch!
Special Seminars: Lars Nilsson & Liangbo Liang
Thursday, May 14, 2026 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am | EER 3.640
Dr. Lars Nilsoon is a professor at Lund University, Sweden, specializing in food and pharma engineering. His research focuses on food engineering, bio-processing, and material science characterization and is involved in developing advanced imaging methodologies for biology and materials science applications.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm | ETC 2.140
Dr. Liangbo Liang is a Senior Research Staff Member in the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He joined ORNL as a Distinguished Staff Fellow in 2015. He received his Ph.D. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2014. His current research lies in computational physics and materials science and engineering, focusing on developing and applying large-scale theoretical/computational methods on supercomputers to understand and engineer diverse materials from first principles. In particular, he is developing and deploying a highly scalable DFT and TDDFT code (RMG) to understand non-equilibrium charge (exciton) and spin dynamics of large-size systems, as well as non-equilibrium transport properties of 2D materials.
Spring 2026 Graduates
Congratulations to our Spring 2026 graduates on reaching this important milestone! We are proud to celebrate their achievements and wish them success in what’s ahead!!
TMI Hosts Texas Institute for the Deaf
On April 13, 2026, TMI’s Associate Director, Dr. Raluca Gearba, hosted high school students from the Texas School for the Deaf for an engaging, hands-on activity using the Scios FIB/SEM microscope. During the session, students were introduced to advanced electron microscopy imaging techniques and explored a variety of samples, including nanoparticles, battery cathode materials, electronic devices, pollen, and human hair. They were guided through the operation of the microscope and had the opportunity to collect electron microscopy images themselves, providing the students with a firsthand experience with cutting-edge instrumentation.
The demonstration offered a unique look at how scientists visualize structures at the micro- and nanoscale, sparking curiosity and interest in materials science and engineering. The outreach event also included a tour of the Electron Microscopy Facility at TMI.
The event was organized in collaboration with the Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials: An NSF MRSEC, UT Austin.
Pretzels & Puppies
Thank you to everyone who came out to our last student event for the spring semester, Pretzels & Puppies. We had homemade pretzels from Fat Bottom Pretzels as well as the company of Divine Canine volunteers Maggie, Summer, and Bailey (as their parents, Brad and Maria!).
Upcoming Events & Announcements
Graduate School Spring Events
- Online Career Conference for PhDs: May 4-8 | 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. | Virtual
Spring 2026 Academic Dates
- Final exams: May 1 - 2 & 4
- Summer 2026 tuition bills distributed to students: May 5
- University Commencement (official graduation date): May 9
