LeBeau receives NSF CAREER Award

Dr. James LeBeau, assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University, has received a Faculty Early Career Development Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The award, known as the NSF CAREER Award, is one of the highest honors given by NSF to young faculty in science and engineering.

NSF will provide $500,000 in funding over five years to support his project, “Understanding Polar Surfaces and Interfaces Using Ultra-High Resolution Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy.” The research is supported by NSF’s Ceramics Program in the Division of Materials Research.

The project aims to advance the understanding of material interfaces, which will lead to exciting new electronic device functionality. Using state-of-the-art electron microscopy, LeBeau and his research team will study interface structure and bonding at an extraordinary level.  The results will offer a new perspective on interface phenomena and will provide input to validate theoretical models.

The educational outreach component of the program combines microscopy with visual arts to attract new students to science and engineering. LeBeau and his collaborators will work with local museums and schools to create an exhibit that communicates advanced electron microscopy and materials science research through art, highlighting the inherent beauty of atomic structure symmetries.

LeBeau received a BS in materials science and engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2006 and a PhD in materials science and engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2010. He joined the NC State faculty in 2011.