Research Interests Develop and apply thermodynamic and kinetic theory and experiments of phase transformations and interface motion to solve important industrial and scientific problems. Current research includes: Understanding how specific microstructures can be designed in poycrystalline materials and thin films by control of interface properties Developing models for how single crystal nanowires nucleate and grow using the VLS (vapor-liquid-solid) method Improving the manufacturing and reliability of the current generation of Pb-free solder interconnects on printed circuit boards Developing new nanoparticle-based interconnect structures for next generation circuit assembly