Professor Yanfei Gao, the associate department head for graduate studies in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been named a 2026 ASM Fellow

Established by ASM in 1969, the Fellow of the Society honor provides recognition to members for their distinguished contributions to materials science and engineering and develops a broadly based forum of technical and professional leaders to serve as advisors to the society.

Gao was selected “for foundational contributions to small-scale mechanical behavior, material behavior, material failure at extreme conditions, and solid-state additive manufacturing.”

“I am deeply honored by this recognition, especially because this is a society that emphasizes the integration of academia, industry, and society in materials and manufacturing,” Gao said. “Besides my nominators who are also great friends and mentors to me, I also want to thank the Oak Ridge Chapter of ASM International, where UT and ORNL play a big role.”

Gao, who joined the UT faculty in 2005, has authored or co-authored more than 200 journal articles. His papers have more than 16,000 Google Scholar citations. Gao has also served as Associate Editors on Materials Futures, Mechanics of Materials, and Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Letters, as well as on editorial boards of a few others.

Earlier this year, Gao was selected as a 2026 Brimacombe Medalist by The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, which is the highest award conferred to mid-career researchers by the global society.

Gao and the 2026 ASM Fellow class will be recognized at the ASM Awards Dinner during IMAT’26 in late September in Quebec City, Canada.

Contact

Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])