Julia R. Greer

Julia Greer is Ruben and Donna Mettler Professor of Materials Science, Mechanics, Medical Engineering at California Institute of Technology, USA

Greer’s research focuses on creating and characterizing classes of materials with multi-scale microstructural hierarchy, which combine three-dimensional (3D) architectures with nanoscale-induced material properties. We develop fabrication and syntheses of micro- and nano-architected materials using 3D lithography, nanofabrication, and additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, and investigate – among others – their mechanical, biochemical, electrochemical, electromechanical, and thermal properties as a function of architecture, constituent materials, and microstructural detail. We strive to uncover the synergy between the internal atomic-level microstructure and the nano-sized external dimensionality, where competing material- and structure-induced size effects drive overall response and govern these properties. Specific topics include applications of 3D nano- and micro-architected materials in in chemical and biological devices, ultra lightweight energy storage systems, filters for purification and chemically-assisted separation, damage-tolerant fabrics, additive manufacturing, and smart, multi-functional materials.

Greer obtained her S.B. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Advanced Music Performance from MIT in 1997 and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Stanford, worked at Intel (2000-03) and was a post-doc at PARC (2005-07). Julia joined Caltech in 2007 and currently is a Ruben F. and Donna Mettler Professor of Materials Science, Mechanics, and Medical Engineering at Caltech.

Greer has more than 150 publications, has an h-index of 60, and has delivered over 100 invited lectures, which include 2 TEDx talks, the multiple plenary lectures and named seminars at universities, the Watson lecture at Caltech, the Gilbreth Lecture at the National Academy of Engineering, the Midwest Mechanics Lecture series, and a “IdeasLab” at the World Economic Forum, and was recently selected as Alexander M. Cruickshank (AMC) Lecturer at the Gordon Research Conferences (2020).