Mills named chair of Materials Science and Engineering
Professor Michael J. Mills has been named the new chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University. He succeeds Professor Peter Anderson, who had served as chair since 2015.
Widely recognized for his research in the relationship between microstructure and structural properties of materials, Mills has authored or co-authored over 220 journal articles and chaired numerous international conferences. His research team utilizes advanced instruments at the Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis (CEMAS) to provide insights into the mechanical behavior of several important metallurgical systems through a detailed understanding of elementary deformation mechanisms.
“Mike is an internationally renowned researcher in high temperature alloys, one of only 70 TMS Fellows in the U.S. and experienced in leadership in the materials field,” said College of Engineering Dean David B. Williams. “He will ensure that the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering will work together to secure the successful construction of the BMEC building.”
Mills earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University in 1985. He joined Ohio State in 1994 as associate professor with tenure after a two-year research associate appointment at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a six-year appointment at Sandia National Laboratories as a senior member of the technical staff. At Ohio State, Mills is the Taine G. McDougal Professor of Engineering and also served as interim chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in 2014-2015.
“After 25 years as a Buckeye, it is an honor and a privilege to guide the department as it continues its leading role in materials science and engineering education and research,” Mills said. “I am particularly proud to represent world-class faculty who are dedicated to advising and preparing our students for careers in academia and industry.”
Mills has received many prestigious honors and awards, including Fellow of the American Society for Metals (2011), Fellow of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (2015), the Oleg D. Sherby Award (2019) from TMS for research in high temperature materials, the Alexander Von Humboldt Research Fellowship (1996), and the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award (2019).
A dedicated teacher and advisor throughout his career, Mills received the College of Engineering’s 2019 Faculty Mentoring Award for successfully mentoring several junior faculty members and creating a new peer mentorship structure within the department.
