UC Irvine and Pratt & Whitney Establish Materials Science Center of Excellence

Unit will tackle challenges in the manufacturing of critical jet engine components

Diran Apelian, UC Irvine Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering, will be the inaugural director of the Pratt & Whitney Center of Excellence, which will foster research and industry collaboration, internships and hands-on learning. UC Irvine

March 10, 2025 — Leading aviation propulsion systems company Pratt & Whitney and the University of California, Irvine have established a center of excellence for solidification science and materials science to be housed in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering.

With Diran Apelian, UC Irvine Distinguished Professor of materials science and engineering, as its inaugural director, the center will focus on the metal and material processing challenges in the manufacturing of critical jet engine components, such as single-crystal turbine blades. The entity, Apelian said, will help foster partnerships between its participants and other academic researchers around the country with shared interests.

“As someone who is a big supporter of industrial engagements, I am highly enthusiastic about this collaboration with Pratt & Whitney,” said Magnus Egerstedt, Stacey Nicholas Dean of Engineering at UC Irvine. “Not only do we expect great research to result in the broader material processing area, but I view this as an ideal model for how to structure university-industry collaborations.”

Projects to be pursued in the center will vary from fundamental solidification science to metal and mold interactions, the “factory of the future,” and the nexus of data science and material processing. In addition, the center will offer hands-on learning at Pratt & Whitney facilities and internship opportunities for university students and researchers.

“Pratt & Whitney brings 100 years of engineering excellence to this collaboration,” said Frank Preli, Pratt & Whitney vice president of propulsion and materials technology. “Together with UC Irvine’s leadership in solidification science, we will enable the production of more complex castings, which will lead to higher efficiency, lower emissions and improved quality of engine components.”

Joining Apelian in the Pratt & Whitney Center of Excellence at UC Irvine will be Department of Materials Science and Engineering colleagues Carl Soderhjelm, assistant researcher; Andrew Zang, postdoctoral scholar; Dan Mumm, professor; and Lorenzo Valdevit, professor and chair; as well as Julian Rimoli, professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

- Brian Bell

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