Klaus van Benthem, professor of metallurgical and materials engineering in the College of Engineering, has been appointed associate director of the Alabama Materials Institute.
van Benthem is an internationally recognized expert in atomic resolution transmission electron microscopy, as well as understanding the thermodynamics and unique kinetic evolutions of ceramic grain boundary structures under external stimuli. He is a fellow of the American Ceramic Society.
van Benthem earned his doctorate in materials science from the University of Stuttgart and the Max-Planck-Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart, Germany. He subsequently received a Feodor-Lynen Scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for his postdoctoral studies at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He left ORNL in 2008, joining the University of California-Davis, where he matriculated through the professor ranks in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
While at UC-Davis, he also served in the Office for Research, providing oversight and direction to the university’s research core facilities. He joined The University of Alabama’s Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering in February 2025.
“Professor van Benthem will provide invaluable guidance to the research mission within AMI,” said Dr. Gregory Thompson, executive director of AMI. “His prior research administration experience will be an asset to the growth of the institute’s facilities.”
In 2022, The University of Alabama Board of Trustees approved a recapitalization of the analytical facilities on the campus. Over the next three years, these various investments were installed, coupled with subsequent building renovations. The completion of these activities was recently celebrated at the AMI Open House held August 13 and 14.
“The state-of-the-art microscopes, coupled with strong university administrative support, were a significant draw for me to bring and continue my research here at UA,” noted van Benthem. “I look forward to being part of and contributing to the leadership team in AMI. The institute is ideally positioned to have a significant impact on materials development and discovery.”
Though van Benthem has been at UA for a short time, he has already led a National Science Foundation proposal for the Materials Innovation Platform that is currently under consideration. This proposal, led by UA, also partners with Louisiana State University on new powder development sciences, with the MIP being a user facility platform supporting research in this area of national need.