James LeBeau
James earned his B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2006. Then, working with Prof. Susanne Stemmer, he received his Ph. D. from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2010. After his graduate work, he joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University as a faculty member in January 2011.
His research focuses on applying and developing transmission electron microscopy techniques to determine the atomic structure and chemistry of material defects. Having shown that HAADF images from experiment agree quantitatively with simulations, the LeBeau group is interested in exploring details in the image intensities to provide information about materials without the need for calibration standards. The materials currently being investigated cover a range of topics including advanced thermoelectrics, topological insulators, and materials for high-temperature applications.
For his research, James has been honored with numerous awards. He was presented with a MAS Distinguished Scholar award and the MAS Birks Award for Best Contributed Paper at the 2008 M&M in Albuquerque, NM. In 2010, he received the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior faculty award, and the Appalachian Regional Microscopy Society’s Young Investigator Award in 2012. Since 2006, he has co-authored 26 journal articles and has given numerous invited talks in the United States and around the world.