Celebrating Robert F. Davis and David E. Laughlin

Dear Colleagues,

It is with mixed emotion that I announce the retirement of two faculty members of the Materials Science and Engineering Department, Robert Davis, Bertucci Distinguished Professor, and David E. Laughlin, Alcoa Professor of Physical Metallurgy. Both are moving on to emeritus status effective July, 2022.

Robert Davis received his B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from North Carolina State University, M.S. from Pennsylvania State University and his Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley. Since 2004, Professor Davis has been the John R. and Clare Bertucci Distinguished Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Carnegie Mellon.

Professor Davis has pioneered growth and characterization of technologically important wide-bandgap semiconductors including SiC, GaN, AlN, Ga₂O₃, which can be used in light-emitting diodes (LEDs), advanced power electronics and solid-state sensing. He has edited or co-edited seven books, authored or co-authored more than 275 chapters in edited proceedings or in books, published more than 450 peer reviewed papers in archival journals, and given more than 200 invited presentations,. He also holds 47 patents. Dr. Davis is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society, a Fellow of the Materials Research Society and a member of TMS.

As a Principal Advisor to more than 100 Ph.D. and M.S. students, Professor Davis’ legacy goes beyond his research and technological impact. He has impacted the future of materials science through his mentorship of a generation of students with over 50 continuous years of teaching, research, and service in Tier I Universities.

David Laughlin has been an integral part of the Carnegie Mellon MSE Department for nearly 50 years, inspiring his students and colleagues with his vast knowledge of material thermodynamics, physical metallurgy, and magnetic materials. His classes, Thermodynamics of Materials and Phase Transformations in Materials have become a standard part of our curriculum.

Professor Laughlin earned his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Drexel University and his Ph.D. of Metallurgy and Materials Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1974, he moved to Pittsburgh and joined Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. In 1999 he received a courtesy appointment to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and in 2001 was honored as the Alcoa Professor of Physical Metallurgy. From 1987 to 2016 he served as the Principal Editor of Metallurgical and Materials Transactions.

During his career, Professor Laughlin’s work has been internationally recognized. He is a TMS Fellow and Honorary Member of AIME. The precipitation hardened aluminum alloys he studied are making their way into automobiles, and his advances on magnetism in FePt has made it possible for laptop computers to become smaller but store more information.

On top of these advancements, Dr. Laughlin has obtained 12 patents, edited nine books, wrote one textbook and more than 490 technical publications. He has left his mark in the materials science and engineering community.

Please join me in celebrating our colleagues and friends, Professors Robert Davis and David E. Laughlin.

Elizabeth Dickey,
Teddy & Wilton Hawkins Distinguished Professor and Head Department of Materials Science and Engineering