Alan Taub

Alan Taub serves as a Professor in both the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering departments at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on lightweight materials for transportation applications, including advanced composites, nanotechnology integration, and sustainable manufacturing processes. He has held academic positions since 1979, contributing to over 150 publications and securing key awards like the 2011 Acta Materialia Award and 2000 Woody Award.

Education: Ph.D. (1979) & M.S. (1977) in Applied Physics from Harvard University; B.S. (1976) in Materials Engineering from Brown University.

Research Interests:

• Processing-microstructure-property relationships in materials
• Lightweight structural materials for automotive/aerospace
• Nano-additives in aluminum alloys and polymer composites
• Electromagnetic field applications in material alignment
• Sustainable materials for circular economies

Recent work emphasizes carbon-negative natural fiber composites and nanostructuring techniques. His 2025 publications address lithium battery cathodes, intermetallic joining methods, and metastructure EM absorption materials. He has pioneered supercritical fluid treatments for flax fibers and developed banded microstructure formation techniques in aluminum alloys.

Awards: Recipient of prestigious recognition in materials science, including the Acta Materialia Award (2011) and Woody Award (2000).

Grants/Advising: Active in GOALI/Collaborative Research initiatives and has advised over 50 students in materials processing and automotive lightweighting projects. Current projects include DOE-funded work on material circularity and NSF grants for incremental forming optimization.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Advanced Materials Processing Lab at U-M, collaborating with automotive partners like Ford and GM on lightweighting solutions. Active in the Materials Research Society (MRS) leadership roles since 1997.