Dr. Douglas Hofmann, The Principal Investigator in the areas of Metallurgy and Materials Science at JPL, visited BYU Monday March 25th 2013 to visit the Compliant Mechanisms Research Group and the materials researchers.
Dr. Eric Homer hosted the visit. Dr. Hofmann also presented a graduate seminar on his research of “Techniques for Developing Bulk Metallic Glass Compliant Mechanisms”. Dr. Hofmann also works as the section Technologist for Mechanical Fabrication and Test at JPL, and a lecturer/Visiting Associate in Materials Science and Applied Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He received his Bachelors and Masters in Mechanical Engineering from University of California at San Diego, and earned a Masters and Doctorate in Materials Science from Caltech. From 2008-2010, he worked as a Head of Research and Development for Liquidmetal Technologies Inc., working towards the industrialization of amorphous metals and composites. In 2010, he was hired at JPL, where he has worked as a scientist and as the founder of the new JPL Metallurgy Facility. His research group at Caltech has contributed to the development of the field of bulk metal glass composites. He is an author of more than 20 peer-reviewed journal publications and has over a dozen patents. He also serves as a Core Member of the NASA/JPL Early Mission Formulation Team that develops concepts for future space missions. Read more about his project below.