Sergei Kalinin

Sergei Kalinin is the Weston Fulton Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and holds a Corporate Fellow position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). His academic affiliations include adjunct professorships at Sung Kyun Kwan University (South Korea) and Penn State University. He earned his M.S. summa cum laude from Moscow State University (1998) and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania (2002), both in Materials Science.

Kalinin's research focuses on transformative applications of machine learning and AI in materials science, particularly in:

• Atom-by-atom fabrication using electron beams
• Big data analytics in scanning probe/transmission electron microscopy
• Nanoscale electromechanical phenomena in functional oxides
• Development of novel microscopy techniques and autonomous experimentation frameworks

His recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate strong emphasis on AI-driven microscopy, autonomous labs, and computational materials design. Over 85% of his last 15 articles involve machine learning applications in experimental physics, with emerging focus on human-AI collaboration and real-time instrumentation control.

Major scientific honors include:

• Blavatnik National Award (2018)
• Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology (2022)
• Presidential Early Career Award (2009)
• 4 R&D100 Awards (2008-2023)
• Fellowships in APS, MRS, IEEE, AVS

He directs the ORNL Institute for Functional Imaging of Materials and leads research on autonomous experimentation systems integrating high-performance computing with microscopy platforms.