Group Leader: Dr. Corinne E. Packard
Dr. Corinne Packard is a Professor at the University of Southern California in the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science. From 2010-2024, Packard progressed through the professorial ranks in the George Ansel Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines while simultaneously jointly appointed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Prior to appointment at Mines, Packard earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from MIT.
Packard researches fundamental and applied mechanics of materials, with a focus on ceramics for solar energy, electronics, and aerospace. Her research has elucidated principles and mechanisms of deformation behavior in brittle materials at the micro- and nanoscales. Specific examples include determining the role of chemistry in controlling the deformation behavior in rare-earth orthophosphate ceramics; engineering fracture in photovoltaic semiconductors to enable dramatic cost reduction through wafer reuse; and high-throughput materials discovery and optimization to design for durable thin film coatings. The thread that ties these diverse projects together is a deep interest in understanding how complex stress state can be controlled to yield desirable mechanical behavior in materials.
Notable awards include the Acta Materialia Silver Award, AIME Robert Lansing Hardy Award, a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, and the Colorado School of Mines Faculty Excellence Award. She has an impactful research portfolio with more than 60 archival publications and 4 issued patents; leads outreach with women and disabled children; and is a devoted teacher, developing diverse and highly trained professionals for STEM careers and leadership in industry and academia.
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