Four faculty members from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have been named to Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list for 2025, an honor bestowed upon only one in 1,000 of the world’s scientists and social scientists. The designation recognizes researchers whose publications are among the top 1% by citations in their respective fields over the past decade. 

A total of six UT faculty members were named to the list, including five from the Tickle College of Engineering.  

“I am extremely proud that four faculty members from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have been recognized among the world’s most-highly cited researchers by Clarivate,” said MSE Department Head Mohsen Asle Zaeem. “This achievement reflects the deep expertise, rigorous scholarship, and high-quality research and educational environment that define our department.”  

Easo George

George, an emeritus faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, who retired as UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Advanced Alloy Theory and Development, continues his research on developing improved scientific understanding of the structure and properties of metallic materials.

He is interested in metals for structural applications at extreme temperatures. The materials he investigates include high- and medium-entropy alloys—metallic materials comprising three or more primary elements—and refractory metals such as iridium, platinum, and tantalum and their alloys.

David Mandrus

Mandrus, the Jerry and Kay Henry Professor in MSE, holds a joint faculty appointment at ORNL and an adjunct faculty position in UT’s Department of Physics. He is focused on the design and discovery of new quantum materials.

Currently, his team is developing new kinds of magnetic materials — including two-dimensional magnets that can be peeled down to a single layer and chiral magnets in which the magnetic fields twist into unique patterns with unusual physical properties — that could open the door to new discoveries.

“Achieving high-impact science requires strong collaboration,” Mandrus said. “I’ve been fortunate to partner with outstanding students and researchers whose commitment and creativity have made this recognition possible.”

Stephen J. Pennycook

Pennycook, an adjunct professor of MSE— who is also an adjunct professor of physics at Vanderbilt University—is a world-leading microscopist and innovator of scanning transmission electron microscopy, which uses a finely focused beam of electrons for illumination. This marks his fifth year being named to Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list. He previously served at ORNL as a corporate fellow in the Materials Science and Technology Division and led ORNL’s Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Group.

Pennycook has developed the foundations of both theoretical and experimental modern microscopy, contributing to the development of the Z-contrast technique that led to the first images of single atoms of boron, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen.

Jiaqiang Yan

Yan, a research professor in MSE who also serves as a distinguished staff scientist in the Correlated Electron Materials Group at ORNL, has been named to the Highly Cited Researchers list for the seventh year in a row. He directs his research toward discovering and understanding novel materials with potential energy and quantum applications, using a combination of rational crystal growth, controlled chemical manipulation, and advanced characterization techniques.

His current work centers on the design, synthesis, and exploration of compounds that exhibit unusual electrical, magnetic, or thermal behavior, aiming to reveal new physical phenomena and enable future technologies.

“The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Tennessee fosters a culture of excellence in which faculty, students, and collaborators work together to advance transformative materials discoveries and innovations,” Zaeem said. “Our department continues to set an international standard for impactful research and academic achievement.” 

Contact

Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])