Katherine Faber

Her research is focused on fracture in brittle materials and mechanisms by which they can be strengthened and toughened.[1] Her current work comprises research into characterizing the behavior of high-temperature ceramic coatings under cyclic thermal loading, which has applications in improving engine efficiency and wear;[1] and the creation of high-temperature porous ceramics with increased strength and toughness, which have applications in filtration, energy storage, insulation, and medical devices.[1] Her research interests also include silicon-based ceramics and ceramic matrix composites;[1] polymer-derived multifunctional ceramics;[3] graphite- and silicon carbide-based cellular ceramics synthesized from natural scaffolds, such as pyrolyzed wood;[3] and cultural heritage science,[4] with emphasis on porcelains and jades.[5]

She has authored over 150 papers, written three book chapters, and edited a book, Semiconductors and Semimetals: The Mechanical Properties of Semiconductors v. 37 [3][6]. In 2003 Faber was recognized by the Institute for Scientific Information as a Highly Cited Author in Materials Science.[2] Among her various other recognitions are the IBM faculty development award (1984-1986),[2] the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Presidential Young Investigator Award (1984-1989),[2] the Society of Women Engineers Distinguished Educator Award (1995),[2] the YWCA Achievement Award for Education (1997),[2] the NSF Creativity Extension Award (2001-2003),[2] fellowship in ASM International (2003),[2] and the Pennsylvania State University College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Charles L. Hosler Alumni Scholar Medal (2004).[2] From 2006-2007, Faber served as the President of the American Ceramic Society,[3] and in 2013 was named a Distinguished Life Member in recognition of her notable contributions to the ceramic and glass profession.[3] In 2014 Faber was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences class of fellows.[4]

She is also the co-founder and co-director of the Northwestern University–Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts (NU-ACCESS), a collaboration between Northwestern University and the Art Institute of Chicago in which advanced materials characterization and analytical techniques are used to further conservation science for historical artifacts.[2]

Faber obtained her Bachelor of Science in Ceramic Engineering at the New York State College of Ceramics within Alfred University (1975).[2] Though she was originally intent on becoming a chemist, ceramics engineering caught Faber’s interest due to its problem-solving nature and applications in engineering.[7] She completed her Master of Science in Ceramic Science at Penn State University (1978),[2] after which she worked for a year as a development engineer for The Carborundum Company in Niagara Falls, New York, on the development of silicon carbide for high performance applications such as engines.[7] Following her year in industry, Faber decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Materials Science at the University of California, Berkeley, which she completed in 1982.[2]

From 1982 to 1987, she served as Assistant and Associate Professor of Ceramic Engineering at the Ohio State University.[4] She participated in the first class of the Defense Science Study Group, a program which introduces outstanding American science and engineering professors to the United States’ security challenges (1985-1988).[5] From 1988 to 2014, she taught as Associate Professor, Professor, and Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University, where she also served as the Chair of the University Materials Council (2001-2002).[2] Additionally, from 2005 to 2007 she sat on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Lab.[2] In 2014, she joined the faculty at Caltech, where she currently teaches.[1]