Steven Hardcastle

Steven Hardcastle is a Researcher Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), affiliated with the College of Engineering & Applied Science. He retired in August 2021 after 32 years, serving as Manager of the Advanced Analysis Facility (AAF), a core research and teaching facility. His expertise spans surface chemistry, elemental analysis (XPS), and structural analysis of bulk materials and thin films (XRD).

Education:

• Ph.D. in Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (1985)
• M.S. in Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL (1979)
• B.S. in Physics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL (1977)

Research interests include materials characterization, catalysis, soil chemistry, and neuroimaging through advanced spectroscopic techniques like XPS and ESCA. His work bridges physics, chemistry, and materials science, with applications in environmental science and biomedical research.

Notable contributions include studies on Lewis acid-catalyzed reactions, Zn-Cr alloy coatings, and neuronal imaging via photoemission spectromicroscopy. He managed the AAF, supporting academic and industrial research in Southeast Wisconsin.