Prof. Beth Dickey, distinguished professor and associate department head, has been selected for the Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professorship Award. The Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professorship recognizes outstanding graduate-level teaching at North Carolina State University. Prof. Dickey was one of only four awardees selected university wide. The selection committee was unanimous in its praise of Prof. Dickey’s exceptional record of promoting and supporting multiple facets of graduate education at NC State.
Professor Dickey’s research focuses on developing processing-structure-property relationships for material systems in which the macroscopic physical properties (mechanical, electrical, thermal, etc.) are governed by grain boundaries or internal interfaces.
Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the role of grain boundary chemistry on electrical and chemical transport. In addition, she is interested in understanding the role of microstructure and interfaces on the mechanical properties of eutectic ceramic composites, which are being developed for high-temperature and armor applications.
Her research involves using an array of analytical techniques, in particular electron microscopy and spectroscopy, to understand the structure and chemistry of internal defects in materials. She has over one hundred fifty peer-reviewed journal publications in these areas with over twelve-thousand citations.