Dr. Rosario A. Gerhardt is Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, where she has been on the faculty since 1991. She was named Senior Goizueta Foundation Faculty Chair in 2015. Before coming to Georgia Tech, she worked at the Center for Ceramics Research at Rutgers- The State University of New Jersey for six years after receiving her doctoral degree from Columbia University.
Prof. Gerhardt’s research focuses on determining structure-property-processing relationships in a wide range of materials including metals, polymers, ceramics and their composites. She is the author or co-author of over 200 refereed research articles, five patents, and has edited five books. Her publications include research on the synthesis and fabrication of single-phase and composite materials and their electrical, optical and microstructural characterization. Her research aims to provide linkages between the underlying structure of the material and key responses that may be used for enhancing sample fabrication, electrical conductivity, charge storage, or for chemical sensing or mechanical degradation detection. Dr. Gerhardt’s research illustrates the importance of characterizing the microstructure of materials and devices at all length scales. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA and many industrial companies.
She currently serves on the Science Review Committee of the Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL and the Defense Materials, Manufacturing and Infrastructure Standing Committee at the National Academies. Prof. Gerhardt has been a member of The American Ceramic Society continuously since 1982. From 1996-2001, she served as an Executive Officer of the Electronics Division of ACerS. Dr. Gerhardt was elevated to ACerS Fellow in 2000.
