Alumna Profile: Jessica Anne Krogstad, Ph.D. 2012

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Jessica A. Krogstad is Associate Professor of Material Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She received her PhD in Materials at UCSB working with Prof. Levi. Her doctoral work dealt with the fundamentals of phase stability in thermal barrier coatings based on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). This was considered a well-understood problem but her research dispelled that notion, shedding substantial new light on the underlying mechanisms and associated kinetics. Her contributions led to a pivotal shift in the understanding of these materials, which she then adapted to identify new compositions with unprecedented combinations of phase stability and mechanical properties. After UCSB she held a postdoctoral appointment at Johns Hopkins University with Prof. Kevin J. Hemker (2012-14). There she focused on the exploration of high temperature metallic systems for MEMS applications and high temperature micro-mechanical testing for experimental validation of multi-scale damage models of superalloy and composite materials, in the spirit of integrated computational materials engineering (ICME). At UIUC she has already earned praise for her outstanding performance as a researcher and teacher and her professional citizenship. Her current research focuses on understanding materials in nonequilibrium configurations and the evolution thereof, so as to generate and optimize unique functionality for operation in dynamic and extreme environments. Today, continued advancement of many critical technologies relies on the performance of materials under harsh conditions where the chemistry, structure and properties may change significantly over the course of operation. Understanding how traditional design criteria evolve in these environments is vital not only for lifecycle and failure analysis, but once understood, these can be used to improve performance or develop alternative material systems. The breadth and depth of her research provides ample evidence of her capabilities as a rising star in materials research, whose leadership skills and warm personality have led to numerous collaborations across academia, industry and the national laboratories which enhance her future career. Professor Krogstad is also a highly dedicated mentor and promoter of diversity in materials education, e.g. as the faculty coordinator for the Girls Learning about Materials (GLAM) summer camp and leadership positions in student activities for TMS and the American Ceramic Society. She is also a highly regarded educator, recognized not only by her contributions to teaching but also her leadership in the development of a computational curriculum for MSE undergraduates, which was published by ASEE. Notwithstanding her relatively young career at UCSB Prof. Krogstad has already received a 2016 DOE Early Career and 2017 NSF CAREER Awards, the 2014 TMS Young Leader Professional Development Career Award, 2018 Royal Academy of Engineering Distinguished Visiting Fellowship, the 2019 Robert L. Coble Award for Young Scholars from The American Ceramic Society and most recently the 2020 TMS Early Career Fellow Award. Jessica Krogstad is married to Daniel Krogstad, who also received a Ph.D. in Materials from UCSB in 2012. Dan is currently Senior Research Scientist at the Illinois Applied Research Institute. Jessica and Dan have two children, Madeline (6) and David (4).

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Alumni