MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN, SENT TO WHITING SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING FACULTY AND STAFF 6/24/2024

Dear WSE faculty and staff,

It is my pleasure to share that Tim Rupert, Engr ’07, ’07 (MSE), will be joining us from the University of California Irvine on July 1 as a professor of materials science and engineering and the new director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute.

Tim’s research encompasses metallurgy, nanostructured materials, and defect science and engineering. While he is bringing plenty of his own projects and ideas to the institute, Tim is passionate about leading, enabling, and facilitating the work of others. To that end, he seeks to expand targeted facets of HEMI’s research portfolio while increasing meaningful engagement with existing fellows and collaborators.

Tim led the creation of the University of California Irvine’s Materials Discovery and Synthesis Center, where he served as director. This user facility enables members of the materials science community to create and discover new metallic and ceramic materials, from nanomaterials to bulk specimens. Tim was also instrumental in bringing the first NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers grant to Irvine for the Center for Complex and Active Materials.

Tim is a fellow of ASM International and has received the ASM International Bradley Stoughton Award for Young Teachers. He is a recipient of other notable awards, including the NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, Army Research Office Young Investigator Program (YIP) Award, Department of Energy Early Career Research Program Award, and AIME-TMS Rossiter W. Raymond Memorial Award.

Tim succeeds Jaafar El-Awady, interim director of HEMI and professor in the departments of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. Under Jaafar’s leadership, HEMI maintained its status as a global hub where experts in materials science, mechanical engineering, and other fields come together to explore the science behind what happens to materials, structures, and systems under extreme conditions.

Founded in 2012, HEMI features more than 50 faculty members from the Whiting School of Engineering, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory. HEMI researchers strive to tackle the world’s greatest challenges by examining them at their most fundamental levels, focusing on materials and structures under extreme conditions and demonstrating extreme performance. Fellows engage in collaborative research activities with peers from other academic institutions, government laboratories, and private companies.

Historically, the bulk of HEMI’s research has been heavily focused on materials for dynamic environments and defense. Moving forward, Tim hopes to maintain strengths in these areas while also broadening what the institute considers “extreme materials” by diversifying the applications and funding sources considered by HEMI fellows. He hopes to cultivate deeper engagement with Hopkins faculty focused on high-temperature materials, fusion energy materials, and nanostructured materials, while encouraging complementary materials discovery and synthesis activities.

Please join me in welcoming Tim back to the Whiting School and thanking Jaafar for his leadership and guidance.

Sincerely,

Ed Schlesinger
Benjamin T. Rome Dean

Effective August 1, Lori Graham-Brady, professor in the Whiting School of Engineering’s (WSE) Department of Civil and Systems Engineering (CaSE) will serve as the vice dean for faculty for WSE. 

Graham-Brady has served in many leadership roles, including as chair of CaSE, where she helped lead the department’s transformation into the expanded and refocused Department of Civil and Systems Engineering in 2019. She currently holds positions as associate director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI), director of the Army Research Lab-funded Center on High-throughput Materials Discovery for Extremes (HT-MAX), and director of the university’s Center on AI for Materials in Extreme Environments (CAIMEE).  

Graham-Brady has also served as the former director of the Center for Materials in Extreme Dynamic Environments (CMEDE) and has led the development of a new facility related to AI for Materials Design (AIMD). From 2008 to 2016, she directed a program under the National Science Foundation’s flagship training program, Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT), for 25 PhD students from six departments, with nearly 50% participation by women, first-generation college students, or members of STEM underrepresented minorities.   

Graham-Brady’s research, which spans stochastic mechanics and multiscale materials modeling, has garnered significant funding from various agencies, including the Army Research Labs for implementing multiscale modeling and design of materials for extreme dynamic environments, with particular application in protection materials. 

“With the scale of growth projected for the school, particularly in the number of additional faculty members we will be hiring over the next five years, Lori’s role will be critical in securing top-notch candidates, ensuring their seamless transition into faculty positions within the school, and fostering their success through targeted professional development programs,” said Ed Schlesinger, Benjamin T. Rome Dean of WSE. 

“I’m excited for the opportunity to influence the future of WSE. By helping to recruit the very best faculty and nurturing their growth and advancement, we can continue to ensure that Johns Hopkins maintains its reputation for having the finest educators, scholars, and leaders in the field of engineering,” said Graham-Brady.

In late 2023, the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI) established a new center focused on using high-throughput and data-driven artificial intelligence and machine learning-based tools to accelerate materials discovery, with an emphasis on hard and brittle materials. This new center, the Center on High-throughput Materials Discovery for Extremes (HT-MAX), has found a new home online at hemi.jhu.edu/ht-max/.

HT-MAX is a four-year, $9.2 million project funded by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and was initiated on September 15, 2023.

HT-MAX is led by Lori Graham-Brady, director of HEMI’s Center on Artificial Intelligence for Materials in Extreme Environments (CAIMEE) and professor of civil and systems engineering, and Michael Shields, associate professor of civil and systems engineering. Other Hopkins faculty members affiliated with HT-MAX include Todd Hufnagel and K.T. Ramesh.

HT-MAX will leverage the cutting-edge resources available in the AI for Materials Design (AIMD) laboratory in the Stieff Silver Building to address four research areas:

1.    High-throughput synthesis and processing
2.    High-throughput characterization
3.    Machine learning-augmented physics-based modeling
4.    Data-driven materials design

The center includes experts from seven universities and ARL, including Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Purdue University, University of California Santa Barbara, and University of Massachusetts Lowell.

The Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute works with many partners in government, private industry, and higher education. While the institute has had significant ties to the U.S. armed forces through the now-complete CMEDE program, HEMI researchers and staff are continuing to foster these relationships in other centers and programs, striving to bring the benefits of these collaborations to the Johns Hopkins University as a whole.

Members of the Materials Science in Extreme Environments University Research Alliance (MSEE URA) have worked closely with the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) throughout the alliance’s three-year history. Many Johns Hopkins students and MSEE participants have transitioned to positions in federal labs, and researchers like Amee Polk, a DEVCOM CBC employee, have graduated from the university’s Doctor of Engineering program.

In an effort to formalize the collaborative relationships that already exist between Johns Hopkins and DEVCOM CBC, both institutions have entered into an Education Partnership Agreement (EPA). This agreement recognizes the importance of education, research, and translational activities and will expand upon collaborative opportunities between both parties.

A signing ceremony was held on Monday, Sept. 11 to commemorate this agreement. The ceremony was attended by DEVCOM CBC employees and leadership, as well as faculty, students, and staff from Johns Hopkins.

Michael Bailey, the director of DEVCOM CBC, and Ed Schlesinger, Benjamin T. Rome Dean of the Whiting School of Engineering, were among those in attendance. The pair gave remarks on the nature and history of collaboration between DEVCOM CBC and the university before signing the Education Partnership Agreement.

Other speakers included Amee Polk and Tim Weihs, professor of materials science and engineering and director of MSEE. Andrew Proulx, MSEE’s program manager, facilitated the creation of this agreement.

“DEVCOM CBC has been a valuable partner for MSEE and HEMI. JHU’s proximity to CBC and the important, related research they conduct makes it an easy decision to collaborate” said Proulx. “We’ve previously had the opportunity to work with people from DEVCOM CBC on basic research projects, short courses, seminars, and more. This agreement encourages further collaboration.”

Rebecca Schulman, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been named one of 10 2023 Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellows by the U.S. Department of Defense. The five-year, $3 million individual award aims to facilitate the progression of fundamental research, encourage collaboration between researchers and national defense experts, and enable investigators to pursue breakthrough discoveries in their fields.

Schulman, who holds secondary appointments in chemistry and computer science, is a HEMI fellow exploring the interfaces of materials science, biochemistry, circuit design, soft matter physics, and cell-free synthetic biology. Her project, “Self-organizing Biomaterials Using Biomolecular Networks,” will investigate how engineers can build complex machines and materials by applying similar principles to those used in biological development.

“Genes build living things by hierarchically organizing molecules, organelles, cells, tissues, and organs,” said Schulman. “Our project will investigate whether engineers might adopt similar ideas.”

Schulman is looking forward to her fellowship term and expressed gratitude for the people who have assisted her in her efforts so far. Preliminary data and concepts for this fellowship were obtained through an AI for materials seed project funded through the Center for Materials in Extreme Dynamic Environments.

“I am excited about the opportunity to deeply explore new ideas and take risks,” said Schulman.

Jaafar El-Awady will take on the role of interim director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute as of July 1. El-Awady, a professor in the departments of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, will lead the institute during the international search for HEMI’s permanent director.

El-Awady is the associate director of the Center on Artificial Intelligence for Materials in Extreme Environments (CAIMEE) and the Center for Integrated Structure-Materials Modeling and Simulations (CISMMS). In addition to these roles, he is the founder and director of the Johns Hopkins Computational and Experimental Materials Engineering Laboratory.

El-Awady’s research aims to further the fundamental understanding of the underlying deformation mechanisms in materials. He has received many awards throughout his career, including the National Science Foundation’s Early CAREER Award, a Johns Hopkins Catalyst Award, and the Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award.

As interim director, El-Awady will be tasked with enabling the continuation of HEMI’s innovative research, extensive collaborative efforts, and reputation as a destination for the study of materials in extreme environments.

El-Awady has been involved with the institute since 2012. “HEMI has definitely had a strong impact on my career,” said El-Awady, reflecting on his early days as a junior assistant professor. “HEMI was a great forum for discussing and establishing new collaborations with an interdisciplinary, world-class group of faculty and scientists focused on materials in extreme environments.”

Of his new role as interim director, El-Awady said, “It is an honor to serve in this new role during this transition period of HEMI. I look forward to working with the Hopkins materials community in continuing HEMI’s mission in conducting groundbreaking research for the study and design of materials in extreme environments.”

The Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI) celebrated its 11th birthday at its weekly tea event on Tuesday, April 25. Faculty, staff, post-doctoral fellows, and students gathered outside HEMI’s offices in Malone Hall to commemorate the milestone with cupcakes and festive décor in addition to the usual offerings of tea and enriching conversation.

Longtime members of HEMI–some of whom have been with the institute since its inception–were in attendance, including K.T. Ramesh, the Alonzo G. Decker, Jr. Professor of Science and Engineering and HEMI director, and Lori Graham-Brady, a professor in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering and HEMI associate director. Ramesh gave brief remarks, thanking everyone for coming and being a part of HEMI.

Established on April 16, 2012, HEMI has made a significant impact on the world through its research and has a global reputation as a formidable driver of cutting-edge research into materials in extreme environments. HEMI’s research has expanded what is known about how materials act under extreme conditions. The institute has been awarded two major centers by the Department of Defense and has managed more than 40 subawards to partner universities and research organizations in 20 states and four foreign countries.

HEMI is actively involved in the Baltimore community through internships with Morgan State University, the Maryland Institute College of Art, and Maryland high schools. As one of Whiting School of Engineering’s (WSE) leading annual recipients of sponsored research, HEMI researchers work in areas that have a powerful impact, from finding ways to better protect our armed forces and safeguarding the human body during collisions to working to mitigate and control risks arising from weapons of mass destruction.

The sense of collaboration and congeniality at HEMI’s event highlighted the institute’s dedication to teamwork which, alongside their focus on research, plays a massive role in their success.

“What sets HEMI apart is our amazing staff and culture. We started with a team of four. Today there are 15 staff members, and we have plans to grow. We’re a bigger team than we were ten years ago, but that familial, team-based approach and culture is still there. It drives us to not only do our best, but to do what’s best for the staff as a whole,” said Scott McGhee, HEMI senior administrative manager.

The Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI) recently hosted the High-Throughput Materials Discovery for Extreme Conditions (HTMDEC) program review on the Homewood campus.

The HTMDEC program aims to combine automation and machine learning techniques with material manufacturing and characterization to withstand and perform under extreme conditions. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), the program will develop the necessary methodologies, models, algorithms, synthesis and processing techniques, as well as the necessary characterization and testing, to dramatically accelerate the discovery of novel materials using data-driven approaches.

The review was co-chaired by Chris Haines, Senior Metallurgist at ARL and Debjoy Mallick, Research Scientist at ARL. Over 100 individuals attended the review, including principal investigators from 12 universities, two companies, and a significant number of ARL researchers. The review consisted of formal presentations by the 11 seedling research projects and a poster session. HEMI fellows, Lori Graham-Brady, Dave Elbert, Todd Hufnagel, KT Ramesh, and Michael Shields are investigators in 4 of the 11 seedlings.

Because of its professional staff and experience in successfully planning and executing high-profile events, ARL requested that HEMI host this event. The hosting of this event exemplifies HEMI and ARL’s strong collaborative partnership.

The Johns Hopkins University announces the establishment of the Center on Artificial Intelligence for Materials in Extreme Environments (CAIMEE), a new center within the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute dedicated to the development of new materials and structures for use in extreme environments through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Materials in extreme environments present numerous research challenges that CAIMEE aims to solve by leveraging robotics, novel experimentation, accelerated computational models, and data-driven design iterations. Directed by Lori Graham-Brady, associate director of HEMI and professor in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering, CAIMEE brings together 12 PIs and collaborators from several institutions to overcome these barriers. Jaafar El-Awady, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, will serve as CAIMEE’s co-director.

The center has a mission of enabling the development of materials with properties tailored for sustainable performance in extreme environments like those encountered by the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. According to the announcement from Dean Ed Schlesinger, the new tools and technologies to be employed by CAIMEE researchers will revolutionize the way materials design decisions are made and will provide comprehensive data and information for sustainable materials development in extreme environments.

This new center is a significant development in the field of research and will have a direct impact on the development of essential materials for critical applications. It is expected that CAIMEE’s work will significantly contribute to the growth of innovations and discoveries that will help governments and industries tackle critical problems.