Engineering faculty named Vilas Associates

Three College of Engineering faculty have been named 2016 Vilas Associates by the UW-Madison Graduate School. The prestigious awards fund some of the university’s highest quality research and are doled out following a competitive application process. Each Vilas Associate receives up to two years of salary support and $25,000 in flexible research funds. The engineering faculty receiving awards this year include:

• Nader Behdad, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, is working on material folding techniques similar to origami that could create unique electromagnetic properties, eventually leading to technologies—including active camouflage skins—that offer stealth capability across radio frequency, microwave and mm-wave bands.
• Manos Mavrikakis, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor and Paul A. Elfers Professor and chair of chemical and biological engineering, is developing first-principles methods for identifying new metal alloy catalysts resistant to impurities commonly encountered in feedstocks of the chemical industry, including processes for the production of hydrogen and other fuels.
• Izabela Szlufarska, Harvey D. Spangler Professor of materials science and engineering, is employing simulations and state-of-the-art in situ nanomechanical characterization techniques in a transmission electron microscope to provide fundamental understanding of microstructural evolution of materials in frictional contacts. These studies provide guidance for design and synthesis of advanced materials with superior wear resistance.