2022 Fellow

Paul Chao is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He is a member of Prof. Ashwin Shahani's research group. The lab utilizes advanced, real-time x-ray characterization techniques to peer into the solidification and processing pathways for metallic alloys. The unique studies rely on advances in data sampling and reconstruction to analyze the Big Data from these in-situ experiments. The results will provide a fresh perspective on age-old conundrums in the field of physical metallurgy. Paul's research project seeks to understand the underlying mechanisms governing pattern formation during the solidification of binary eutectic alloys wherein a duplex microstructure will unmix from a disordered liquid.  The experimental evidence of this dynamic process in three-dimensions, in real-time, and at ever decreasing length scales is vitally important to understanding the crystallization kinetics of such eutectic composite materials. 

Outside of research, Paul enjoys participating in the Materials Science and Engineering Graduate Student Council (MSE-GSC) and the Graduate Employees' Organization (GEO).