Alejandro Strachan
School of Materials Engineering
Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering
701 West Stadium Avenue
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2045
BRK: (765) 496-3551
ARMS: (765) 494-6406
FAX: (765) 494-1204
strachan@purdue.edu
Alejandro Strachan is the Reilly Professor of Materials Engineering at Purdue University, the Co-Director of nanoHUB, and Purdue's Office of Research Fellow for Intelligent Twins and Digital Innovation. Before joining Purdue, he was a Staff Member in the Theoretical Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory and worked as a Postdoctoral Scholar and Scientist at Caltech. He received a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Prof. Strachan's research focuses on predictive atomistic and multiscale models grounded on first principles to advance our ability to understand, design, and deploy materials. His recent work integrates machine learning and artificial intelligence with physics-based modeling to tackle critical scientific and engineering challenges in areas such as energy, electronics, and manufacturing. In addition, Strachan's scholarly work includes cyberinfrastructure to make simulations, models, and data widely accessible and useful in research and education to accelerate innovation. nanoHUB has served over 200,000 simulation users and reached 800+ US institutions of higher education. Prof. Strachan has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers and his contributions to research and education have been recognized by several awards, including the Early Career Faculty Fellow Award from TMS in 2009, an R&D 100 award in the category of software and services for nanoHUB (2020), and the Reilly Chair Professorship in 2023.
Education
| Ph.D., Physics | University of Buenos Aires, Argentina | 1998 |
| B.Sc., Physics | University of Buenos Aires, Argentina | 1995 |
Professional Employment
| Reilly Professor of Materials Engineering | Purdue University | 2023–present |
| Professor, School of Materials Engineering | Purdue University | 2013–present |
| Visiting Professor | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland | 2016 |
| Associate Professor, School of Materials Engineering | Purdue University | 2010–2013 |
| Visiting Professor | Institute of High-Performance Computing, Singapore | 2007 |
| Assistant Professor, School of Materials Engineering | Purdue University | 2005–2010 |
| Staff Member, Theoretical Division | Los Alamos National Laboratory | 2002–2005 |
| Scientist | Materials and Process Simulation Center, California Institute of Technology | 2001–2002 |
| Postdoctoral Scholar | Materials and Process Simulation Center, California Institute of Technology | 1999–2001 |
| Graduate Teaching Assistant, Physics Department | University of Buenos Aires, Argentina | 1995–1999 |
Professional Experience
| Research Fellow for Intelligent Twins and Digital Innovation | Office of Research, Purdue University | 2025–present |
| Co-Director, nanoHUB and chipshub platforms | Online simulations, data, and education | 2023–present |
| Member, International Advisory Board | European Materials Modeling Council (EMMC) | 2022–present |
| Founding Member, Governance Council | Materials Research Data Alliance (MaRDA) | 2020–present |
| Member, Scientific Advisory Committee | University of California San Diego MRSEC Center | 2021–present |
| Deputy Director, Network for Computational Nanotechnology and nanoHUB | National Science Foundation | 2013–2023 |
| Director, MURI Center Predictive Chemistry and Physics at Extreme Conditions | Department of Defense, Office of Naval Research | 2016–2022 |
| Member, Executive Editorial Board | Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, IOP Publishing | 2017–2023 |
| Deputy Director, Center for Prediction of Reliability, Integrity and Survivability of Microsystems | National Nuclear Security Administration, Predictive Science Academic Alliance Program | 2011–2014 |
| Site Lead and Chair, Steering Committee, NCN@Purdue Program | National Science Foundation Network for Computational Nanotechnology | 2008–2011 |
Honors and Awards
- Reilly Professor of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, 2023
- R&D100 2020 Winner — nanoHUB: making simulation and data pervasive
- Richard E. Grace Best Faculty Research Grant, School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, 2019
- Reinhardt Schuhmann Jr. Undergraduate Teaching Award, School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, 2017
- Purdue Faculty Scholar, 2012–2017
- Purdue University College of Engineering Faculty Excellence Award (Team Award: PRISM), 2009
- TMS Early Career Faculty Fellow Award, 2009
- Purdue University Teaching for Tomorrow Award, 2007
- Reinhardt Schuhmann Jr. Undergraduate Teaching Award, School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, 2007