Christine Alexander Graham

Christine Alexander Graham is an American materials scientist and engineer recognized for her pioneering work in the development of novel composite materials and scalable nanomaterials synthesis techniques. Her research, conducted primarily at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in collaboration with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has significant applications in aerospace engineering, renewable energy, and sustainable manufacturing. Graham's contributions have been acknowledged through prestigious awards, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and her election as a Fellow of the American Physical Society.

Early life and education

Born in the Midwestern United States, Graham demonstrated an early aptitude for the physical sciences and mathematics. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Stanford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering. Her undergraduate research, conducted under the mentorship of a professor specializing in polymer science, focused on the mechanical properties of early biodegradable plastics. Graham subsequently attended the University of Cambridge on a Churchill Scholarship, completing a Master of Philosophy in Microelectronics. She returned to Stanford University for her doctoral studies, earning a Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Engineering. Her dissertation, advised by a leading expert in transmission electron microscopy, investigated defect dynamics in semiconductor nanowires.

Career

Following her PhD, Graham accepted a postdoctoral research position at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, working within the Molecular Foundry. There, she collaborated with teams specializing in organic photovoltaics and inorganic nanocrystals. She then joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. At MIT, she established a research group focused on the intersection of nanoscale fabrication and bulk material performance. Graham has held visiting scientist positions at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz and has served on advisory committees for the United States Department of Energy and the National Academy of Engineering.

Research and contributions

Graham's research program is centered on creating next-generation materials with tailored properties. A major thrust of her work involves developing lightweight, high-strength composite materials reinforced with engineered carbon nanotubes and graphene platelets, with applications for the Boeing Company and SpaceX. She pioneered a continuous flow chemical vapor deposition method for the large-scale production of uniform nanowires, a technique later licensed by several Silicon Valley startups. Her group's work on self-healing polymers, inspired by biological systems like the Roman snail, has advanced the durability of coatings used in offshore wind turbine blades. More recently, her investigations into solid-state electrolytes aim to address safety and performance challenges in lithium-ion batteries.

Awards and honors

Graham's research excellence has been recognized with numerous awards. She received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award early in her faculty career. She is a Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the Materials Research Society. Her work earned her the TMS Young Leader Professional Development Award from The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society. Graham was also the recipient of the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award and the American Chemical Society Award in the Chemistry of Materials. She has delivered invited lectures at major conferences including the March Meeting of the American Physical Society and the International Conference on Composite Materials.

Personal life

Graham is an advocate for increasing diversity in the STEM fields and regularly participates in outreach programs with organizations like Science Club for Girls. An avid outdoorswoman, she enjoys mountaineering and has completed ascents of peaks in the Cascade Range and the Swiss Alps. She resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Category:American materials scientists Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty Category:Living people