Prof. Kinga Unocic

Principal Investigator
Associate Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)
3028 Engineering Building I
kaunocic@ncsu.edu

Bio

Kinga Unocic, Ph.D. received her master’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland in 2002, and her doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University in 2008. Prior to NC State MSE, Kinga was a Staff Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory since 2009.

In her spare time, Kinga enjoys spending time with her family, skiing, running and playing ice hockey.

Research

Her research interests include high-temperature oxidation, corrosion, materials in extreme environments, radiation effects, novel materials processing, alloy development, mechanical behavior, and catalysis.

Dr. Jorge Galeano-Cabral

Posdoctoral Research Scholar
Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)
3021 Engineering Building I
jgalean@ncsu.edu

Bio

Jorge received his master’s degree (2022) and Ph.D. (2024) in Mechanical Engineering from Florida State University. He previously served as a Research Assistant and then Postdoctoral Research Associate at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida.


In his spare time, Jorge enjoys camping, kayaking, playing rugby, and video games.

Research

Development of novel oxidation-resistant high-entropy alloys for extreme environments. The goal is to uncover fundamental insights into how HEAs degrade, or resist degradation, under harsh environments, with applications in aerospace, energy, and nuclear systems.

Swaroop Saralkar

Ph.D. Student in Materials Science and Engineering
sksaralk@ncsu.edu

Bio

Swaroop received a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya in 2024 and a Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering at NC State University in 2025

Research

He investigates Ni-based superalloys, including Inconel 718, Haynes 230, and Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) alloys, focusing on processing, microstructure, and environmental performance. This work supports materials design for gas turbines, aerospace engines, energy systems, and other components exposed to high temperatures and oxidative environments.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Leo Soler

B.S. Student in Materials Science and Engineering
Undergraduate Research Assistant
lgsoler@ncsu.edu

Projects:
– Investigating oxidation and degradation behavior of HEAs at high temperatures
– Performing compositional analysis of powders to gain insights into additive manufacturing processes
– Applying machine learning to study high-temperature oxidation and laser-particle interaction

Outside of the lab I enjoy biking, camping, cooking, golfing, and playing competitive video games.

Claire Fields

B.S. Student in Materials Science and Engineering
Undergraduate Research Assistant
cafield5@ncsu.edu

Projects:

ALUMNI

• Apolo Domingos – Undergraduate Student – 2024
• Henry Stern – Undergraduate Student – 2025
• Tyler Rihm – Doctoral Student – 2025