Robert F. Cook

Robert F. Cook is a Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD.

Dr. Cook received a B.Sc. (First Class Honors) in Physics from Monash University, 1981, and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of New South Wales, 1986. At NIST, he was Leader of the Nanomechanical Properties Group and Deputy Chief of the Ceramics Division, 2005-2011. Dr. Cook was a Professor at the University of Minnesota, 1998-2004, and a Research Staff Member at IBM Research, 1985-1998.

Dr. Cook has authored over 160 archival publications and holds 14 patents; his primary field of research is the mechanical properties of materials, especially fracture. Dr. Cook has received Department of Commerce Silver and Bronze medals for his research on nanoparticles and scanning probe microscopy. Dr. Cook was Chair of the Basic Science Division of ACerS, 2002-2003, and served on the ACerS Board of Directors, 2004-2007; he received the Richard M. Fulrath Award, 1999, and was elected an ACerS Fellow in 1998.

Dr. Cook’s current research is on the development of measurement methods and standards for mechanical properties of materials at ultra-small scales, including the properties of nanoparticles and nanowires.