Williams, David

Biography

David B. Williams is Professor of Materials Science and Engineering.  He served as Dean of Engineering at The Ohio State University from 2011-2021 where he led 1000 faculty and staff, was responsible for the education of almost 10,000 students with a budget of $310M including $150M in annual research expenditures.  Prior to coming to OSU, he was President of the University of Alabama in Huntsville from 2007 to 2011 and before that he spent 31 years at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA where, in addition to leading the renowned Lehigh Microscopy School for over 20 years, he was Vice Provost for Research from 2000-2006.

Expertise

In addition to his decades of administration, Williams brings to CEMAS a lifetime of experience in the development of electron microscopy techniques and their application to materials.  His research spanned analytical/transmission/scanning electron microscopy, X-ray/electron energy-loss spectrometry, and convergent-beam diffraction with applications to interfacial segregation, bonding changes, texture, phase-diagrams in aerospace and power-generation alloys and glass structure.  He is also a leader in engineering/science & technology policy, university-government-industry research partnerships and economic development.

Williams holds B.A., M.A., Ph.D., and Sc.D. degrees from Cambridge University.  He is a (co-) author or editor of 13 textbooks and conference proceedings and (co-) author of 450 publications on electron-microscopy studies of metals and alloys.  He is co-author with Professor C. Barry Carter of the world-leading textbook Transmission Electron Microscopy (Springer, 2009, 2nd edition) which has sold over 25,000 copies.  More than 6,500,000 chapters have been downloaded on-line (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-0-387-76501-3).  A visiting professor at Manchester University, he has given 300 invited talks in 30 countries and is a Fellow of nine inter/national professional societies in materials, microscopy, aerospace and economic development.