Sara Kadkhodaei

Sara Kadkhodaei is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Materials Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Engineering. She leads the Computational Materials Research Lab (CMRL), where her work focuses on developing advanced computational frameworks to bridge atomic-level interactions to macroscopic material properties.

Her research spans:

• First-principles and atomistic computational methods
• Data-driven materials discovery
• High-throughput computational frameworks for novel material development

Recent work trends highlight her expertise in machine learning applications for materials science, defect thermodynamics, and nanoscale energy systems. CMRL's research has been published in prestigious journals like Science, Nano Energy, and Physical Review Materials, covering topics from high-entropy oxide nanoribbons to CALPHAD thermodynamics.

The lab's activities include collaborations with the Chicago DOE Alliance Center and contributions to the ASM Materials Genome Toolkit project. Sara's team has received recognition in teaching (2025 College of Engineering Teaching Award) and mentored junior researchers like Kritik Jain, a Gold Award winner at the 2025 Illinois Junior Academy of Science State Science Fair.