PhD student Matthew Vigil wins Best National Lab Project at ETI 2.0’s UPR

As a PhD student in materials science and engineering, Matthew Vigil came to UW-Madison looking for two things. He wanted to experience distinct seasons after growing up in Southern California, and he wanted excellent academic opportunities. Here, he found both, along with a research path that has already earned significant recognition.

This summer, Vigil received the Best National Lab Project award at the Consortium for Enabling Technologies and Innovation’s University Program Review. The event brings together students from across the country to present research tied to national security priorities. For Vigil, the honor was both surprising and meaningful.

“I was really glad to represent my lab and the work we’re doing,” he said. “It felt good to show how interdisciplinary our research is and how closely we collaborate with national labs.”

Vigil works in the Alloy Design and Development Lab led by Professor Dan Thoma. The group focuses on taking computationally designed alloys from concept to fabrication and eventually to full scale. Their workflow includes arc melting, high throughput compositional studies and metal additive manufacturing. The goal is to move promising materials from theory to industry.

A major part of Vigil’s project involves analyzing data collected during additive manufacturing. As a laser prints a metal part, it produces signatures such as temperature profiles and acoustic emissions. These signatures can reveal how the material forms and whether defects may appear.

Vigil’s work also highlights the strength of UW-Madison’s partnerships with national laboratories. His group collaborates closely with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which provides nanoscale characterization and computational materials support. Previous work in the lab has also involved Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

“That level of collaboration is one of the benefits of being in this lab,” he said. “We have strong relationships with several national labs, and it really expands what we’re able to do.”

For now, he is focused on continuing his work within the consortium and contributing to the broader research community.

“It has been a great experience,” he said. “I’m grateful to be part of it and excited to keep moving forward.”