Lecture Series – Tresa Pollock

tresa pollack

About the Lecture

Lecture Title: Challenges and Opportunities for New High Temperature Refractory Alloys

Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 

Time: 5:00pm to 7:00pm

Location: Science 1, Room SC1

Campus: University of Connecticut, Storrs 

Refractory alloys are attractive for their high melting points and potential applications in energy and aerospace applications with operating temperatures in excess of 1200˚ C. However, new refractory alloys are challenged by the need for a balance of strength, oxidation resistance and fabricability. The recent availability of additive manufacturing processes has opened new pathways for fabrication of refractory alloy components; a high throughput approach to identifying “printable” compositions will be discussed. Assessments of the compositional landscape for precipitation strengthening above 1200˚ C has led to new BCC / B2 alloys and preliminary investigations of deformation mechanisms will be reviewed.

Finally, the need for oxidation resistance will likely require protective coatings and design approaches for coatings that form protective alumina films will be discussed.

About Dr. Tresa Pollock

Professor Tresa Pollock is the Alcoa Distinguished Professor of Materials at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  Pollock’s research focuses on the mechanical and environmental performance of materials in extreme environments, unique high temperature materials processing paths, ultrafast laser-material interactions, alloy design and 3-D materials characterization. Pollock graduated with a B.S. from Purdue University in 1984, and a Ph.D. from MIT in 1989.  She was employed at General Electric Aircraft Engines from 1989 to 1991, where she conducted research and development on high temperature alloys for aircraft turbine engines and co-developed the single crystal alloy René N6 (now in service).  Pollock was a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University from 1991 to 1999 and the University of Michigan from 2000 - 2010.  

Professor Pollock was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering in 2005, the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2015, and is a DOD Vannevar Bush Fellow and Fellow of TMS and ASM International. She serves as Editor in Chief of the Metallurgical and Materials Transactions family of journals and was the 2005-2006 President of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society and served as Materials Department Chair (2011 – 2017), Associate Dean of Engineering (2018 – 2021) and Interim Dean of the College of Engineering at UCSB (2021 – 2023).

Visit Dr. Pollock's Lab Website