
Sharon C. and Harold L. Yoh, III Distinguished Professor
The Brinson lab’s research objective is to characterize and model advanced materials systems, bridging across scales, to develop new understanding of material mechanisms and transfer knowledge into FAIR datasets towards novel material design. The research activities include nanoscale experimental investigations, especially using AFM methodologies, computational predictions of material behavior using finite element analysis and micro mechanics approaches, and application of AI methods including surrogate modeling, optimization, and natural language processing. Target material systems include multiphase polymer systems, nancomposites, bioplastics, metamaterials and 3d printing materials.
Appointments and Affiliations
- Sharon C. and Harold L. Yoh, III Distinguished Professor
- Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
- Donald M. Alstadt Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Contact Information
- Office Location: 3379 Fciemas Building, Duke Campus, Durham, NC 27708
- Office Phone: (919) 660-5310
- Email Address: cate.brinson@duke.edu
- Websites:
Education
- B.S. Virginia Polytech Institute and State University, 1985
- M.S. California Institute of Technology, 1986
- Ph.D. California Institute of Technology, 1990
Research Interests
Mechanics of materials, with emphasis on complex hierarchical materials and polymer based systems, and merging concepts of data science into materials. Nanoscale and bulk scale experimental characterization, modeling and simulation of the behavior of materials, including physics based and machine learning approaches. Current research foci include nanostructured polymers, interfacial behavior, structural metamaterials and data platforms for material query and design.
Awards, Honors, and Distinctions
- A.C. Eringen Medal. Society of Engineering Science (SES). 2022
- Fellow. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 2020
- Nadai Medal. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). 2014
- Fellow. American Academy of Mechanics. 2013
- Fellow. American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 2009
- Fellow. Society for Engineering Science. 2007
- Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Prize. Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. 2006
- Thomas JR Hughes Young Investigator Award. American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 2003
- National Science Foundation CAREER Awards - Multiple Sciences. National Science Foundation (NSF). 1995
Courses Taught
- BME 526: Elasticity (GE, BB)
- CEE 521: Elasticity (GE, BB)
- ME 391: Undergraduate Projects in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 555: Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 591: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science
In the News
- A Fun, Free Crash Course on How Modern Materials Shape Our World (Feb 7, 2022 |…
- Brinson Named 2022 A.C. Eringen Medalist (Jan 13, 2022 | Duke Engineering News)
- Innovative Textile Vents to Release Heat When You Sweat (Jan 5, 2022 | Pratt Sc…
- Duke MEMS: Writing New Recipes for High-Performance Materials (Feb 26, 2021 | D…
- Brinson Named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science…
- Six From Duke Elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement o…
- Cate Brinson: In the Kitchen with NanoMine (Nov 19, 2020 | Rate of Change Podca…
- aiM: AI for Understanding and Designing Materials—Filling an AI and Materials S…
- Women’s History Month 2020: Reflections from Duke Women (Mar 4, 2020 | Duke Tod…
- DNA-Based Nanobots Earn Duke MEMS Its Fifth DMREF Award for Materials Science (…
- New Yoh Professorship Is a Gift to Future Engineers (Jun 25, 2019 | Duke Engine…
- Duke Adds 21 Faculty to Distinguished Faculty Rank (May 7, 2019)
- $5M NSF Project: Liberating Data to Discover New Polymer Nanocomposites and Met…
- Catherine Brinson: Finding Hard Answers for Soft Matter (Aug 25, 2017)
Representative Publications
- Huerta, E. A., Ben Blaiszik, L Catherine Brinson, Kristofer E. Bouchard, Daniel Diaz, Caterina Doglioni, Javier M. Duarte, et al. “FAIR for AI: An interdisciplinary and international community building perspective.” Scientific Data 10, no. 1 (July 2023): 487. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02298-6.
- Ma, Boran, Nicholas J. Finan, David Jany, Michael E. Deagen, Linda S. Schadler, and L Catherine Brinson. “Machine-Learning-Assisted Understanding of Polymer Nanocomposites Composition-Property Relationship: A Case Study of NanoMine Database.” Macromolecules 56, no. 11 (June 2023): 3945–53. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.2c02249.
- Burkhart, Craig, Bing Jiang, George Papakonstantopoulos, Patrycja Polinska, Hongyi Xu, Richard J. Sheridan, L Catherine Brinson, and Wei Chen. “Data-Driven Multiscale Science for Tread Compounding.” Tire Science And Technology 51, no. 2 (April 1, 2023): 114–31. https://doi.org/10.2346/tire.22.21003.
- Brinson, L. C., L. M. Bartolo, B. Blaiszik, D. Elbert, I. Foster, A. Strachan, and P. W. Voorhees. “Community action on FAIR data will fuel a revolution in materials research.” MRS Bulletin, January 1, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1557/s43577-023-00498-4.
- Jablonka, K. M., Q. Ai, A. Al-Feghali, S. Badhwar, J. D. Bocarsly, A. M. Bran, S. Bringuier, et al. “14 examples of how LLMs can transform materials science and chemistry: a reflection on a large language model hackathon.” Digital Discovery, January 1, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1039/d3dd00113j.