Professor Alford's teaching interests include X-ray and electron diffraction, introduction to physical materials science and laboratory, structure and properties of materials, advanced materials issues in semiconductor processing, and materials processing and synthesis.

His areas of expertise include silver and copper metallization and low-k dielectrics for future integrated circuit (IC) technologies, advanced metallization for low-power electronics and for novel IC components formation, and adhesion of sol-gel hydroxyapatite-metal systems for biomedica.