IGERT-CIF21: Computation-Enabled Design and Manufacturing of High Performance Materials

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

This Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) award prepares Ph.D. students at the Georgia Institute of Technology with the tools to improve the efficiency, design, and manufacturing of new materials. While providing students with interdisciplinary training in computing, mathematics, and material sciences, the program promotes entrepreneurial approaches to developing new materials into products for the global market. Intellectual Merit: The goal of this training program is to produce scientists and engineers who will develop and use data analytics, modeling, and simulation methods to advance the fields of materials design and manufacturing. Trainees will quantify the microstructures that comprise materials and will develop algorithms and software to represent and transform these microstructures. Additionally, trainees will explore application challenges such as creating light-weight materials for energy-efficient vehicles and accelerating the development of new technologies such as additive manufacturing. Through internships in industry and a curriculum that combines business with materials science, mathematics and computing, trainees learn how to apply their research to commercial product development. Broader Impacts: By increasing the efficiency of materials development and manufacturing, this program contributes to America's competitiveness in an increasingly globalized marketplace and contributes to the creation of new and sustainable materials and technologies. Moreover, this traineeship program helps students develop the skills and tools needed to pursue careers at the intersection of materials science, mathematics and computing. IGERT is an NSF-wide program intended to meet the challenges of educating U.S. Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background, deep knowledge in a chosen discipline, and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. The program is intended to establish new models for graduate education and training in a fertile environment for collaborative research that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, and to engage students in understanding the processes by which research is translated to innovations for societal benefit.