David Field is the Director of Washington State University’s Institute of Materials Research. He received his BS, MS, and Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering. From 1990 to 1994 he was employed at Alcoa Technical Center as a Sr. Engineer and from 1994-2000 at TexSEM Laboratories where he was Director of Technology. He joined the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University in August 2000.
His research interests include physical and mechanical metallurgy, deformation and recrystallization of metals, severe plastic deformation, welding and joining, anisotropy of materials, thin film and integrated circuit interconnect reliability, and advanced experimental and characterization techniques. Field is a fellow of ASM International, is the author or co-author of over 150 technical articles, and has been awarded 3 patents. He has given more than 80 invited presentations at national or international meetings, universities, and national laboratories worldwide and has lectured and taught dozens of workshops and courses on electron backscatter diffraction, texture analysis, and materials characterization.