S. Nemat-Nasser

Professor Nemat-Nasser, Distinguished Professor of Mechanics and Materials, is the Director of UCSD’s Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials. He studies how materials respond to thermo-mechanical loads imposed by their environment, and how they may fatigue or fail over time. He is especially interested in the mechanics of ceramics, ceramic composites, high strength alloys and superalloys, rocks and geomaterials, and advanced metallic and polymeric composites with electromagnetic, self-healing, and self-sensing functionality; ionic polymer-metal composites as soft actuators/sensors, and shape-memory alloys. He has a history of realizing the impact of experimental mechanics on various scientific and engineering fields, to develop novel materials with new properties. A very brief bio follows:

Sia Nemat-Nasser arrived in the USA in 1958 from Iran. B.S., Sacramento State U, 1960; M.S., 1961, and Ph.D. 1964, UC Berkeley. Assistant professor, Sacramento State U, 1961-62. post-doc, 1964-66, Northwestern U; assistant and associate professor, 1966-70, UCSD; professor, 1970-85, Northwestern U; professor, 1985-present, UCSD. His awards and honors include: Nat’l. Acad. Eng.: Member 2001. ASME: Stephen P. Timoshenko Medal 2008; Mater. Div. establishes Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Medal 2008 (focused on underrepresented minorities & women in engineering); Robert Henry Thurston Lecture Award 2006; Honorary Member 2005; Aerosp. Div., Adaptive Struct. & Mater. Systems Best Paper of the Year Award 2003; Nadai Medal 2002; Life Fellow 2001; Chair, Mater. Div. 1997-98; Fellow 1979. ASCE: Theodore von Karman Medal 2008. Sacramento State U: Distinguished Alumni Award 2008. SEM: B.J. Lazan Award 2007; W.M. Murray Medal 2009. SES: William Prager Medal 2002; Founding Fellow 1988; Pres. 1979-80. AAM: Pres. 1996-97, Secy 1989-94, Fellow 1970. World Innovation Foundation: Honorary Member 2004. Tech. Inst.: Willard F. Rockwell Medal 2003. UCSD: Faculty Research Lecturer Award 2005; Sch. Eng./MAE Teacher of the Year Award, 2000-01, 1996-97, & 1994-95; John Dove Isaacs Chair in Natural Philosophy,1995-00. Alburz Educational Foundation Prize 1975.

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For a career of interdisciplinary research on fracture and failure with collaborations in chemistry, materials science, geology, and other fields.

Emmanuel Gdoutos
Dr. Emmanuel Gdoutos is full member of the Academy of Athens, the most prestigious academic institute in Greece, member of the European Academy of Sciences (EAS), European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Academia Europaea, American Academy of Mechanics, International Academy of Engineering, Foreign member of the Russian, Bulgarian and Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Fellow of ASME, SEM, International Congress on Fracture (ICF), European Structural Integrity Society (ESIS), European Association for Experimental Mechanics (EURASEM), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Doctorate Honoris Causa of the Democritus University of Thrace (Greece), Russian Academy of Sciences, University of Nis (Serbia) He is Honorary member of IGF (Italy), PSTAM (Poland), SSTAM (Serbia), Literary Society “Parnassos” (Greece), author of more than 300 technical papers in refereed journals and conference proceedings, 16 books and editor of 35 books. He received many awards from international societies, including SEM (Lazan, Tatnall, Zandman, Theocaris), ICF, ESIS, EAS, EURASEM, the Turin Academy of Sciences and EAS. He served as president of SEM (2013-2014), ESIS (2006-2010) and EURASEM (2004-2007). A special issue of the journal Meccanica was dedicated to his honor: “Experimental Solid Mechanics: In Honour of Professor Emmanuel Gdoutos” Vol. 50 (2), pp. 253-590 (2015). Among his books are: “Matrix Theory of Photoelasticity” (with P.S. Theocaris), Springer, 1979, “Fracture Mechanics”, 3rd ed. (accompanied with Solutions Manual), Springer, 2020, used as textbook for fracture mechanics courses worldwide, and “Experimental Mechanics”, Springer 2022. He is chair of the Theocaris Foundation which supports the SEM Theocaris award.