Research @ UVA Engineering

I am a social scientist who studies how people work together to learn about nature and technology. In particular, recognizing the crucial contributions of technicians, students, and community members can help us build more inclusive, equitable, and socially beneficial research teams.

Dr. Xu joined the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The University of Virginia in the fall of 2014. He received his PhD in Mechanics and Materials from Columbia University in 2012 and was a Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2012 to 2014.

Giovanni Zangari's research interests focus on the fundamental understanding of electrochemical deposition phenomena and how atomistic processes determine microstructure and properties of materials.

Mona Zebarjadi is a joint professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering Departments at the University of Virginia, where she is leading the Energy Science and Nanotechnology Lab (ESnail). 

Leonid Zhigilei is a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Virginia.

My interests are in computational thermodynamics and kinetics of materials, including first-principles alloy theory, CALPHAD, theories of phase transformations, and nonequilibrium thermodynamics. These methods are applied to lightweight alloys, high-temperature materials, and corrosion.