Academic Leadership Down in the Trenches

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William D. Nix will explore his experiences in various leadership roles including as a department head, a graduate student thesis advisor, a leader in the research the community, and more to demonstrate insights learned and perspective gained through his prolific career. Join Nix as he discusses his approach to leadership, specifically in the academic field, and his advice on the various problems leaders face. Following Nix’s presentation, there will be a question and answer period from the audience.

Lee Otterson Professor of Engineering, Emeritus, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University

Bio
William D. Nix obtained his B.S. degree in metallurgical engineering from San Jose State College, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in metallurgical engineering and materials science, respectively, from Stanford University. He joined the faculty at Stanford University in 1963 and was appointed Professor in 1972. He was named the Lee Otterson Professor of Engineering at Stanford University in 1989 and served as Chairman of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 1991 to 1996. He became Professor Emeritus in 2003. Nix received the 1979 Champion Herbert Mathewson Award and, in 1988, was the Institute of Metals Lecturer and recipient of the Robert Franklin Mehl Award from TMS. In 1995, he received the Educator Award from TMS. TMS/AIME has established the William D. Nix Award and Lecture, which is given annually since 2020, in parallel with the Mehl and Hume-Rothery lectures. Nix has been engaged in research on the mechanical properties of solids. He has been principally concerned with the relation between structure and mechanical properties of materials in both thin film and bulk form.

Alonzo G. Decker Chair and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Whiting School of Engineering, John Hopkins University

Bio
Kevin Hemker is known for his work explaining the underlying, atomic-level details that govern the mechanical response, performance, and reliability of disparate material systems. He holds joint appointments in the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Earth and Planetary Sciences at John Hopkins University. Hemker is the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Additive Manufacturing and Architected Materials and has sponsored research projects with the United States Air Force, Army, and Navy, as well as the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and NASA. He served as the 2018 TMS President, is a 2014 TMS Fellow, and was the recipient of the 2021 SMD Distinguished Scientist/Engineer Award. Hemker received a B.S. in metallurgy from the University of Cincinnati in 1985 and a master’s and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Stanford University in 1987 and 1990, respectively. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in physics at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne before joining the faculty of the Whiting School of Engineering in 1993.