James Bain is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at Carnegie Mellon University, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He serves as Associate Director of the Data Storage Systems Center (DSSC) within the College of Engineering. B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania (1988) M.S. (1991) and Ph.D. (1993) in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University His research spans magnetic, optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical devices for information storage. Current programs focus on heat-assisted magnetic recording and resistive switches for memory and reconfigurable electronics, with interdisciplinary applications in energy security, industrial decarbonization, and nanofabrication. His work intersects materials science , electrical engineering , and nanotechnology . Scott Institute Seed Grant (2018) for energy research Member of Materials Research Society and IEEE Magnetics, Electron Devices, and Photonics Societies Bain has co-authored over 225 publications and leads research at the interface of data storage and energy systems . He actively contributes to multiphysics modeling, nanoscale thermal transport, and phase-change materials. His lab is affiliated with Carnegie Mellon’s Data Storage Systems Center, advancing technologies for grid-interactive and high-performance buildings.








