Michael Titus

Michael Titus is an Assistant Professor in the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University, appointed in late 2016. Prior to this, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research in Germany (2015–2016) under Dr. Dierk Raabe. He earned his Ph.D. in Materials from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in June 2015, advised by Professor Tresa Pollock. His research focuses on advanced materials modeling, metallurgy, and microscopy, with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary exploration.

Education

• B.S. in Engineering Physics, Ohio State University, 2010
• Ph.D. in Materials, UC Santa Barbara, 2015

Research Interests
Titus specializes in materials characterization and synthesis, particularly in metallic systems. His work integrates experimental techniques (e.g., microscopy) with computational modeling to advance understanding of material properties. He advocates for early writing skills in graduate students and emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, as seen in his attendance at the Microscopy and Microanalysis conference, which broadened his research scope.

Awards

• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellowship (2015–2017)

Advising & Labs
As a new faculty member at Purdue, Titus is part of the university’s expansion in engineering, with access to new laboratory facilities. His research group will likely focus on topics arising from his postdoctoral work and UCSB training.