Elif Ertekin

Elif Ertekin is an Associate Professor and Andersen Faculty Scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, where she also directs the Mechanics Programs. Her research focuses on computational modeling of atomic-scale processes in materials for energy applications, including thermoelectrics, battery materials, and solid-state systems. She holds a PhD from UC Berkeley and has held postdoctoral roles at MIT and the Berkeley Nanoscience Institute.

• Educations: PhD (Materials Science, UC Berkeley, 2006), M.S. (Materials Science, UC Berkeley, 2003), B.S. (Engineering Science & Mechanics and Mathematics, Penn State, 1999).
• Research Interests: Thermal transport, energy conversion, defect chemistry, computational materials design, machine learning in materials science.

Her group develops predictive models using high-throughput computation and materials informatics to design energy materials. Key collaborations include experimental groups for closed-loop feedback. Notable awards include the NSF CAREER Award and SWE Emerging Leader Award.

• Awards: NSF CAREER (2016), TMS Early Career (2016), SWE Emerging Leader (2019), Dean’s Research Award (2020).

She leads the Network for Computational Nanotechnology’s Nanomanufacturing Node and co-directs the HDR Institute for Data-Driven Dynamical Design. Teaching accolades include multiple 'Top Professor' rankings and the Everitt Teaching Award.