Stefano Curtarolo

Stefano Curtarolo is the Edmund T. Pratt Jr. School Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering. He also holds professorships in the Department of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering, and serves as Director of the Center for Extreme Materials (2025–present).

• Education:
  • M.S. in Physics, University of Padua (1995, 1998)
  • M.S. in Physics, Pennsylvania State University (1999)
  • Sc.D. in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2003)

Research Interests: Curtarolo’s work bridges Materials Science, Physics, and Artificial Intelligence, focusing on Autonomous Materials Design, High-Entropy Disordered Systems, and Materials for Extreme Environments. His methodologies integrate Quantum Mechanics, Machine Learning, and High-Throughput Computing.

Recent Research Trends: His 2024–2025 publications highlight advancements in High-Entropy Ceramics, including Soliquidy (a geometric descriptor for disorder), Dual-Phase Ceramic Synthesis, and Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials. These works emphasize disorder engineering, plasticity enhancement, and AI-driven material discovery for Aerospace and Deep Space Exploration applications.

• Scientific Awards:
  • European Academy of Sciences (2024)
  • Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher (2021)
  • Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award (2016)
  • DOD MURI Awards (2013, 2015)
  • NSF CAREER (2008)
  • ONR Young Investigator (2008)
  • PECASE (2007)

Grants & Leadership: Current projects include DETER (2024–2027, Missouri S&T) and Transition States Algorithms (2024–2027, ONR). He co-leads NRT-HDR (2020–2026, NSF).

Labs & Teams: Curtarolo directs the Center for Extreme Materials and leads the AFLOW consortium, a global materials design ecosystem. His lab combines machine learning, quantum simulations, and experimental validation for multiscale materials discovery.