ACerS is pleased to announce Jason Lonergan has been selected for Volunteer Spotlight, a program that recognizes a member who demonstrates outstanding service to The American Ceramic Society through volunteerism.
Lonergan is assistant research professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T). He received both his bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Missouri S&T. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the University of Central Florida’s College of Optics and Photonics and then worked in several positions at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, including as an alternately sponsored fellow, postdoctoral associate, and materials scientist. He returned to Missouri S&T in fall 2023.
Throughout his various positions, Lonergan has worked on a variety of topics, including the thermophysical properties of ultrahigh-temperature ceramics and materials for nuclear applications. His current research centers on ceramics for extreme environments, specifically ultrahigh-temperature ceramic matrix composites for hypersonic vehicles. He is principal investigator on a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency project pursuing intrinsic ductility and high fracture toughness in monolithic carbides through lamellar nanodomains induced in mid- and high-entropy zeta-phase ceramics. His group is also developing compact carbide and boride shielding for fusion reactors, along with new deposition methods for multifunctional interphase and environmental barrier coatings.
Lonergan is a member of the ACerS Engineering Ceramics Division and has served as chair of the Greater Missouri Section since 2024. He has supported ACerS meetings in various ways, for example, by chairing sessions on ceramics and glasses at the 2017 Materials Science & Technology conference and serving as both session organizer and chair at the 12th International Conference on High Temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites. He also chaired ceramic and glass-related sessions at the 2024 National Space & Missile Materials Symposium (NSMMS), and he recently joined the NSMMS advisory committee as well.
We extend our deep appreciation to Lonergan for his service to our Society!
