7/29/2010
David Cahill, a Donald B. Willett Professor of Engineering, has been named as the next head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) in the College of Engineering. Subject to the approval of the university’s Board of Trustees, the appointment will become effective August 16, 2010.
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David Cahill, a Donald B. Willett Professor of Engineering, has been named as the next head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) in the College of Engineering. Subject to the approval of the university’s Board of Trustees, the appointment will become effective August 16, 2010.
“I am pleased that David Cahill has accepted my request that he become the next head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering,” stated Ilesanmi Adesida, dean of the College of Engineering. “David’s own high scholarship reflects the excellence of a department that has been on top of the national rankings for many years. I look forward to working with David to build on this legacy of excellence."
Cahill received his BS in engineering physics in 1984 from the Ohio State University and his PhD in experimental condensed matter physics from Cornell University in 1989. His PhD work concerned lattice vibrations of disordered solids. Before joining the Illinois' faculty in 1991, he worked as a post-doctoral research associate at IBM Watson Research Center where he conducted research on metal-semiconductor interfaces and scanning tunneling microscopy.
Cahill’s research focuses on developing a microscopic understanding of thermal transport at the nanoscale; the development of new methods of materials processing and analysis using ultrafast optical techniques; and advancing fundamental understanding of interfaces between materials and water. Thermal management is a critical issue in a variety of applications from state-of-the-art microprocessors to turbine engines.
Cahill’s research group studies the basic science of thermal transport in materials. His group has developed powerful methods of characterizing nanoscale thermo-physical properties using ultrafast laser metrology. Ultrafast optical spectroscopies also are used to determine the rate at which energy is exchanged between various elementary excitations in a solid and to study fundamental limits for the rates of phase transformations. The group is developing novel methods for probing the thermodynamics of material interfaces with water. A highly sensitive optical probe of surface curvature provides data on the changes in polymer thin film stress produced by changes in the composition of aqueous suspensions. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy is used to measure the partitioning of inorganic ions in commercial RO and nanofiltration membranes.
Cahill has published nearly 170 papers and has delivered over 100 invited presentations. His research has been recognized by the Peter Mark Memorial Award of the AVS in 1998, the Xerox Award for Faculty Research in 2000, as a University Scholar from the University of Illinois in 2000, as a Willett Faculty Scholar Award from the College of Engineering in 2002, and as a Donald B. Willett Professor of Engineering in 2005. He was named an AVS Fellow in 1998, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2005, and he serves on the editorial boards of Nanoscale Thermophysical Engineering and Review of Scientific Instruments.
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Contact: David Cahill, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 217/333-6753.
Writer: Cynthia Brya, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 217/333-8312.
If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz, Engineering Communications Office, 217/244-7716, editor.