Faculty Directory

My passion is to expand access to science and technology, enabling students and researchers to excel in interdisciplinary research and education. By fostering partnerships across universities, national laboratories, government agencies, nonprofits, and industries, I have worked to enhance both research and educational capacity, particularly in emerging technologies such as advanced materials and additive manufacturing (also known as 3D printing).  Throughout my career, I have focused on identifying and nurturing leaders while building trusted collaborations that drive meaningful impact at both organizational and societal levels. My current aspirations are to design, develop, and implement materials and manufacturing innovations that integrate human capital as a core element, ensuring sustainable progress and competitiveness in an evolving global landscape. I look forward to engaging with others who share this vision and welcome collaboration to advance scientific and technological excellence.

Additive Manufacturing (also known as 3D Printing); Fundamental issues in non-equilibrium phase transformations; Thermo-mechanical-magnetic coupling effects; Application of in-situ neutron and synchrotron diffraction tools, atom probe field ion microscopy and electron microscopy; Laser surfacing for improvement of structural and biomaterial surfaces; Novel phase transformation concepts to join nanostructured materials; Innovative Delivery of High-Performance Computational Models, Weld microstructure modeling based on thermodynamics and kinetics; Computer-aided models to solve the industrial-related problems; Phase transformations in steels, aluminum alloys & Ni-base super alloys; Interdisciplinary research in Energy Science and Engineering, as well as Data Science and Engineering; Computational Materials Science; Team Science Development and Nurturing the same.

• Qualify AM metal parts based on in-situ monitoring and analysis through machine learning and artificial intelligence tools.
• Address the shortages of castings and forgings,  with  low-cost wire arc additive manufacturing systems and concurrent qualification.
• Mature the science and technology of site-specific microstructure control for a unique combination of structural and functional properties.
• Fundamental understanding of various solid-state additive manufacturing technologies with in-situ and ex-situ characterization methodologies.
• Adopt a networked citizen science approach to expand the dissemination of knowledge related to advanced materials and manufacturing.

Fall 2025

• ENMA 473: Engineering Using High Strength Metals and Alloys (undergraduate)
• ENMA 673: Engineering Using High Strength Metals and Alloys (graduate) (pending)

Selected Publications:

• R. Kannan, A. G. Stevens, C. Francher, O. Rahman, R. Miller, J. Ward, A. K. Ziabari, S. S. Babu and P. Nandwana, “Reduction kinetics of hematite powder using argon/hydrogen plasma with prospects for near net shaping of sustainable iron,” Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 2024, Vol. 40, #e00879; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2024.e00879
• R. P. Minneci, M. P. Haines, P. R. Gradl, D. L. Ellis, E. A. Lass, J. R. Bunn, H. Choo, Z. C. Jones, S. S. Babu, and C. J. Rawn, “Characterization and rationalization of microstructural evolution in GRCop-84 processed by laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF), accepted for publication in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 2024, published online athttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-024-07315-w
• Yousub Lee, T. Feldhausen, C. M. Francher, P. Nandwana, S. S. Babu, S. Simunovic and L. Love, “Prediction of residual strain/stress validated with neutron diffraction method for wire-feed hybrid additive/substrative manufacturing,” Additive Manufacturing, 2024, Vol. 79, #103920; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2023.103920
• M. Pagan, N. Zhao, L. headings, M. J. Dapino, A. M. Rossy, R. Emery, P. D. Rack, C. Massey, S. J. Zinkle, and S. S. Babu, “Improvements in bonding through ultrasonic additive manufacturing of titanium by stabilizing displacive phase transformations,” Materialia, 2024, Vol. 33, #101979; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtla.2023.101979
• A. Plotkowski, K. Saleeby, C. M. Francher, J. Haley, G. Madireddy, K. An, R. Kannan, T. Feldhausen, Y. Lee, D. Yu, C. Leach, J. Vaughan, and S. S. Babu, “Operando neutron diffraction reveals mechanisms for controlled strain evolution in 3D printing,” Nature Communications, 2023, Vol. 14, #4950, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-40456-x

See google scholar for all other publications:  https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AD9DTNgAAAAJ&hl=en