Jeffrey J. Swab is a senior ceramic engineer and team leader with the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) located in Aberdeen Proving Grounds, MD.  He began his career with the Army in 1983 as a junior engineer after receiving a BS in ceramic science and engineering from the Pennsylvania State University.  He subsequently received a MS and PhD in materials science and engineering from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the State University of New York – Stony Brook, respectively.  Jeff spent 20 months as a guest researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology as well as 2 years on assignment teaching at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY.

Jeff is the author or coauthor of over 150 technical reports and peer-reviewed publications, 2 patents (pending) and 2 technical standards as well as the editor of 5 books.  He is a recognized expert in fracture analysis of advanced ceramics.  He led the world’s first and largest round robin exercise on fractographic analysis of ceramics as well as the development of the world’s first fractography standard practice for ceramics.  Jeff has also worked on the development and refinement of test methods for fracture toughness, hardness and the flexure strength of glass.  Recently, he has been developing a specimen and test methodology to determine the quasi-static and dynamic compression strength of ceramics.  As part of this work, Jeff organized and led a round robin exercise on the dynamic compression strength testing of ceramics.  These results will dramatically change how the dynamic compression strength is determined using a split-Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus and will yield data with increased value and validity.

Dr. Swab has been a member of the American Ceramic Society since 1982 and is a member of the Engineering Ceramics Division and the Glass and Optical Materials Division.  He is one of the original architects and lead organizers of the highly successful armor ceramics symposium held in conjunction with the International Conference & Exposition on Advanced Ceramics & Composites meeting.  In 2011 he received the ECD Global Star award.