Ramón Collazo earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 2002 under the direction of Zlatko Sitar. After completing his B.S. in Physics at the University of Puerto Rico, he joined HexaTech Inc. as a senior research scientist. He returned to NC State in 2010 as an assistant professor and now serves as a professor and University Faculty Fellow, co-directing the Wide Bandgaps Laboratory. His research focuses on III-nitrides and AlGaN alloys for optoelectronic and power devices. He has published more than 260 papers and received the NSF CAREER Award.

Scott Walston earned his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State before earning a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University and an Executive MBA from The Ohio State University. He began his career at GE Aviation, where he led engineering teams developing advanced turbine blade alloys and coatings and earned more than 30 U.S. patents. He later joined Boeing, serving as director of Engineering for the 737 and leading Propulsion Engineering at Boeing Commercial Airplanes. He now serves as vice president and chief engineer of Enterprise Technology, where he leads R&D strategy and global innovation partnerships.

Xinghang Zhang earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 2001 under the direction of Carl Koch. His research focuses on radiation damage and the mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline metals and ceramics. After joining Texas A&M University as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, he moved to Purdue University in 2016. Zhang has published more than 350 journal papers and received the NSF Early Career Award and TMS Brimacombe Award. He is an ASM Fellow. More than half of his 25-plus Ph.D. graduates have gone on to faculty or national laboratory positions.

Karren More earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 1992 under the direction of Robert F. Davis. She began her career at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1988 and developed an internationally recognized research program in high-resolution analytical electron microscopy. Her work spans structural ceramics, composites, nanoparticle catalysts and fuel cells. More has published nearly 300 papers and earned more than 20,000 citations. She is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society and Microscopy Society of America and serves as a division director at ORNL after leading its Electron and Atom Probe Microscopy Group for 10 years.

Rajiv Singh earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 1989. He joined the University of Florida, where he became a professor in 1996 and later an emeritus professor. During his academic career, he helped establish the NSF Engineering Research Center for Particle Science and Technology and authored more than 500 publications. He holds more than 50 patents and co-founded Nanotherapeutics and Sinmat to commercialize his research. In 2020, Entegris acquired Sinmat for $75 million. Singh is a Fellow of MRS, IEEE, ASM International, ECS, AAAS and APS.

Anand Tanikella earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 1996 and joined Saint-Gobain that same year as a senior research engineer. During more than 25 years with the company, he became the founding director of Saint-Gobain Research India and now serves as global vice president of R&D for Saint-Gobain Abrasives. He leads teams across more than 30 locations worldwide and has guided innovations in ceramics, abrasives and plastics. Tanikella holds more than 18 patents and has published extensively. He has also served as adjunct faculty at Northeastern University.

Edward C. Nixon (1930-2019) earned his M.S. in Geology from NC State in 1954. He served as a naval aviator, helicopter flight instructor and assistant professor of Naval Science at the University of Washington. Nixon later built a career advising companies on the responsible use of natural resources and worked internationally in the earth sciences. He was the youngest of five Nixon brothers and the younger brother of Richard Nixon. In 1980, he authored The Nixons: A Family Portrait, chronicling his family and its history.

Gleb Yushin earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science from NC State in 2003. He is a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and chief technology officer and co-founder of Sila Nanotechnologies. He also serves as editor-in-chief of Materials Today. His research focuses on nanostructured materials for advanced batteries and supercapacitors. Yushin has published more than 150 papers and holds more than 40 patents. His work has earned honors including the NSF CAREER Award and recognition as a Blavatnik Finalist.

Lisa Porter earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State after completing her B.S. at Cornell University. She is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, where her research spans electronic materials, including metal contacts, oxide-SiC interfaces, transparent electrodes, organic semiconductors and gallium oxide for wide bandgap applications. In 2011, she co-founded SenSevere LLC to commercialize chemical sensors for harsh environments. Porter has served in leadership roles within professional organizations and is president of the American Vacuum Society. Her honors include the NSF CAREER Award, the Women in Materials Award and CMU’s Philbrook Prize.

Paul R. Stewart earned his B.S. in Geological Engineering from NC State in 1959 after serving in the U.S. Army. He later earned an M.S. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Illinois while working at the Illinois Geological Survey. Stewart began his career with Shell Oil, where he led the world’s largest fracture-treatment project on a deep gas well at the time. He later held leadership positions at Belco Petroleum and King Resources Company before co-founding Stewart Petroleum Corporation. His career has included energy development projects across North America and internationally.

Mitchell Haller (1939-2023) earned his M.S. in 1967 and Ph.D. in 1971 in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State. He pioneered the development of dental and jewelry alloys and co-patented Biobond CB, the first non-precious crown and bridge alloy, with fellow MSE alumnus Charles Richard Manning. The alloy was widely adopted and marketed by Dentsply International Inc. During the surge in gold prices in the 1970s, Haller also developed and patented a non-precious metal alloy for class rings. Major manufacturers across the United States adopted the alloy as a durable, cost-effective alternative to gold.

Bennie Ward earned his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from NC State in 1959 and began his career with Reynolds Metals in Richmond, Virginia. At Reynolds Research, he supervised the Pilot Equipment Laboratory, developing processes similar to those used in production plants. Ward holds 20 metallurgical patents, including U.S. Patent 5,725,695 for a method of producing aluminum alloy 8111. The innovation improved the production of Reynolds Wrap foil by creating softer, tougher material that could be annealed at lower temperatures. The alloy provided Reynolds and subsequent owners with 17 years of protection for manufacturing Reynolds Wrap from alloy 8111.

Mike Rigsbee (1947-2015) earned his Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering from NC State in 1974. He completed postdoctoral research at Michigan Technological University and worked for Republic Steel in Cleveland, Ohio. He later taught at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and served as department head at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In 1998, Rigsbee returned to NC State as department head and professor of Materials Science and Engineering, continuing his contributions to the department and the field.

Warren “Andy” Thomas earned his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 1990 before earning his M.S. in 1992 and Ph.D. in 1994 from The University of Texas at Austin. He spent 10 years at Bell Helicopter, leading new materials development and managing early-stage technology programs for military and commercial rotorcraft. Thomas now serves as senior director of Global R&D Operations at CoorsTek, overseeing research activities across centers in the United States, Japan and Europe. He also mentors STEM professionals and supports the next generation of engineering leaders.

Richard Ricker earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State. He worked with NASA on the Skylab and Space Shuttle programs before earning his Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1983. Ricker later held positions at the University of Notre Dame and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. At NIST, he led multiple research groups and programs and established the agency’s additive manufacturing research program. His career has focused on advancing materials research through government, academic and national laboratory partnerships.

Bill Chinnis began his career at Allvac in Monroe, North Carolina, where he focused on titanium melting technology. In the late 1980s, he led the development and certification of plasma arc melting, or PAM, technology. Chinnis later co-founded AlloyWorks LLC with NC State MSE alumni Hal Lindsay and John Hoffman to manufacture custom titanium ingots and commercialize titanium aluminide alloys for GE’s GEnx engine. He remains an expert in PAM technology and continues to advise the aerospace and materials industries worldwide.

Paul Besser earned his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 1988, where he was named Outstanding Senior. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University in 1990 and 1993, respectively. Besser joined Advanced Micro Devices in 1993 and became a fellow in its Technology Development and Research Group in 2001. He later held technology leadership roles at InVisage Technologies, Unity Semiconductor, GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Lam Research. His research interests include silicides, metallization reliability, packaging and non-volatile memory technologies.

John DuPlessis Sr. earned dual B.S. degrees in Nuclear Engineering and Metallurgical Engineering from NC State in 1958 and an M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering in 1960 under the direction of Hans Stadelmaier. He spent more than 30 years with Crucible Materials Corporation, developing and manufacturing high-temperature alloys and permanent magnets. DuPlessis received the College of Engineering’s Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award in 1995 and served on the MSE Department’s advisory committee. He established the John and Kitty DuPlessis Scholarship Endowment and supported additional MSE scholarships and programs through major gifts.

Jea-gun Park earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 1994. He worked in Samsung Electronics’ Semiconductor Division, where his research on defect engineering contributed to the development of the “Pure Silicon Wafer,” now used in DRAM production. Park joined Hanyang University in 1999 and serves as a HYU Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering. His research has also contributed to the development of the “Super Silicon Wafer” for NAND flash memory. He has published more than 300 scientific papers, submitted 300 patents and delivered more than 590 international conference presentations.

Zlatko Sitar earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 1990 and is the Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. His research focuses on the growth, characterization and device development of wide bandgap semiconductors, including GaN, AlN and diamond. Sitar pioneered a nitride molecular beam epitaxy process using a unique ECR plasma source and developed a commercial AlN crystal growth process. He founded HexaTech, an NC State spinout focused on III-nitride technology. His honors include the Alcoa Foundation Distinguished Engineering Research Award and the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research and Extension.

Haiyan Wang earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science from NC State in 2002 under the supervision of Jagdish Narayan. She began her career at Los Alamos National Laboratory as a director-funded postdoctoral fellow and later served as a staff scientist. Wang joined Texas A&M University in 2006 and later moved to Purdue University, where she holds the Turner Chair Professorship with joint appointments in Materials Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering. She served as a program director in the National Science Foundation’s Division of Materials Research from 2013 to 2015. Her research focuses on functional ceramics for electronics, superconductors, fuel cells and radiation-tolerant materials.

Reuben Arthur began his career at North State Prophyllite, a Greensboro-based refractory materials company founded by his uncle, John Boren, and Mace Harvey. After Resco Products Inc. acquired the company in 1976, Arthur advanced through roles in sales, manufacturing, research and finance. He became vice president of manufacturing in the 1990s, overseeing eight plants across the United States and United Kingdom. After retiring, he continued to advise Resco as a consultant. Arthur has also been a longtime advocate for NC State engineering graduates and their contributions to the refractory materials industry.

Calvin Carter served as a visiting assistant professor in NC State’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 1984 to 1987. In 1987, he co-founded Cree Inc., now Wolfspeed, which became a leader in silicon carbide semiconductor technology. His work in crystal growth and thin-film deposition contributed to advances in blue and green light-emitting diodes, high-power solid-state microwave amplifiers and synthetic gemstones. Carter received the National Medal of Technology in 2002. He is also a recipient of the College of Engineering’s Distinguished Alumni Award and has served on the NC State Engineering Foundation Board of Directors.

Thomas Cunningham (1944-2023) spent his career at General Electric, where he served as an engineering manager and lead recruiter for GE Energy. Over more than two decades, he recruited more than 50 NC State engineering students into GE leadership and engineering programs. Cunningham also served NC State for more than 20 years, including as a leader of the Park Scholarships selection process when the program launched in 1996. He and his wife, Mimi, supported the College of Engineering through annual giving and the Tom and Mimi Cunningham Academic Leadership Endowment.

Robert Davis earned his B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from NC State in 1964 before earning an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Penn State in 1966 and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1970. He joined the NC State faculty in 1972 and served as the Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering from 1988 until his retirement in 2004. He is now the John and Clare Bertucci Distinguished Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. A member of the National Academy of Engineering and Fellow of the American Ceramic Society, Davis has received numerous honors for his research and contributions to materials science.

John Edmond (1944-2023) co-founded Cree Inc., now Wolfspeed, alongside NC State students and faculty based on research in silicon carbide. His work contributed to the development of blue and green LEDs, first using silicon carbide and later Group III nitrides on silicon carbide. Edmond was named an inventor on more than 133 U.S. patents and 244 foreign patents. He established the Edmond Graduate Fellowship, the first graduate fellowship endowment in the MSE Department, and supported research at NC State’s Analytical Instrumentation Facility. His contributions helped advance both semiconductor technology and the university’s research enterprise.

Anna Fraker earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Furman University in 1957 before joining NC State’s Department of Engineering Research. She earned an M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering in 1961, becoming the first woman at NC State to earn an advanced engineering degree, and a Ph.D. in Ceramic Engineering in 1967, becoming the first woman to earn a doctorate in engineering from the university. Fraker spent her career as a research metallurgist at the National Bureau of Standards, now NIST, where she championed the careers of students and scientists. She became recognized as a leader in biomaterials and was elected an ASM International Fellow.

John Freeman is a registered professional engineer in North Carolina and the former owner and president of Cer-Met Inc., a family-owned refractory manufacturing and installation company in Charlotte, North Carolina. After graduating from NC State, he worked for Harbison-Walker Refractories Co. for 12 years before founding Cer-Met in 1970. Under his leadership, the company grew from a regional refractory installation business into an international operation serving clients across North America, South America, Asia and the Middle East. Freeman and his wife, Dolores, have supported NC State for decades and established the Walter and Ida Freeman Distinguished Professorship in MSE.

Robert Glass earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 1992 and spent more than 20 years with Cree Inc., now Wolfspeed. He held leadership positions spanning technology, operations, manufacturing, materials and crystal growth and served as vice president of Technology. Before joining Cree, Glass worked at Westinghouse Electric Corporation’s corporate R&D center and conducted postdoctoral research at Linköping University in Sweden. He holds a B.S. in Engineering from Virginia Tech and an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Virginia. Glass is a co-author of more than 30 publications and co-inventor on multiple U.S. and foreign patents.

Jacob Hooks served as president of Eaton Corporation’s Automotive North America business before retiring in 2013. He began his career at Aeroquip as a product engineer and transitioned to Eaton following its acquisition of Aeroquip in 1999. During his career, Hooks held leadership positions including vice president and general manager of Eaton’s Global Hose Division, vice president of engineering and product development and president of Engine Air Management Operations. He has remained active in support of NC State, serving on the NC State Engineering Foundation Board of Directors and chairing its Development Committee. He also established an MSE endowment supporting future generations of students.

Nasser H. Karam earned his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from NC State in 1985. He served as chief technology officer and vice president of Advanced Technology Products at Boeing Spectrolab, where he led research and development for nearly 20 years. His work spans materials research, photovoltaics, sensors and optoelectronic devices, with a focus on advanced multijunction solar cells for space and terrestrial applications. Under his leadership, space solar cell efficiency advanced from 19% in 1997 to more than 35%. Karam has received multiple technical excellence awards, R&D 100 and Scientific American 50 awards, and holds more than 20 patents.

Brigadier General Leodis Jennings earned his B.S. in Materials Engineering with a concentration in Metallurgy from NC State in 1983 and was commissioned as an Armor officer in the Army National Guard. During his military career, he served in senior leadership and resource management positions across the Army, Department of Defense and Congress. His final assignment was military deputy to the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8, Headquarters, Department of the Army, where he managed more than $650 billion in resources and equipment. Jennings also earned graduate degrees from Webster University, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College.

Charles Manning (1930-2019) earned his Ph.D. in Ceramic Engineering from NC State in 1967 and joined the College of Engineering faculty that same year. He later became a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Before earning his doctorate, Manning earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and geology from Florida State University and a master’s degree in metallurgical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. From 1958 to 1967, he led the Materials Engineering Group in NASA’s Langley Advanced Materials Research Program. He later founded Accident Reconstruction Analysis Inc. and continued supporting NC State through teaching and philanthropy.

John Palmour (1960-2022) earned his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from NC State in 1982 and his Ph.D. in 1988. He was one of the founders of Cree Inc., now Wolfspeed, and served as chief technology officer for its advanced devices business. His work focused on wide bandgap RF, microwave and power-switching technologies. Palmour authored or co-authored more than 266 publications and was named an inventor on 46 U.S. and 135 foreign patents. He was elected an IEEE Fellow in 2013 and established an MSE scholarship endowment in honor of his father, longtime NC State ceramic engineering professor Hayne Palmour III.

Hayne Palmour III (1925-2017) earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Ceramic Engineering from Georgia Tech before earning his Ph.D. in Ceramic Engineering from North Carolina State College in 1961. He joined NC State’s Department of Mineral Industries in 1958 and became a research professor in 1965 and a full professor in the Department of Materials Engineering in 1981. During a 37-year career at NC State, Palmour advanced research and education in ceramics, with pioneering work in sintering. His honors included the Governor’s Award of Excellence, the Alcoa Foundation Engineering Research Achievement Award, the John Marquis Award and the Frenkel Prize.

Gerald White (1930-2023) served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War before using the GI Bill to earn his engineering degree at NC State. Inspired by William W. Austin, former head of the MSE Department, White established the Dr. William W. Austin Graduate Student Fellowship and an undergraduate scholarship supporting materials science and engineering students. After graduation, he worked as a research and process engineer at Douglas Aircraft Company. He later joined Industrial Piping Supply Company and helped establish and manage its pressure vessel fabrication division before becoming a partner at Ward Tank and Heat Exchanger Corporation.

Laurens Willard earned his degree from NC State and has spent more than 40 years leading Galvan Industries, a family-owned company rooted in materials science. Founded after World War II by his uncle Charles Willard and later expanded by his father Clarence, the company grew from a small galvanizing facility in Harrisburg, North Carolina, into one of the largest job galvanizing plants in the Southeast. As president and CEO, Willard has overseen manufacturing and distribution across North America and international markets. Under his leadership, Galvan Industries pioneered a patented copper-plating process and achieved zero-discharge status through recycling and process improvements.