Aeriel D.M. Leonard, Ph.D.
Dr. Aeriel D.M. Leonard is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. Dr. Leonard’s research interest is combining advanced characterization with in-situ experiments to quantify relationships between manufacturing/processing, micro/macro structures, and mechanical behavior in microstructurally and compositionally complex alloy systems, additive manufactured materials, and magnesium alloys.
Education and professional experience
She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the University of Alabama in 2012. After completing her Bachelor’s degree, Dr. Leonard worked in the Corrosion Research Group at Alstom Inc. for a year.
In 2013, she began her Ph.D. journey at the University of Michigan in Materials Science and Engineering. Dr. Leonard’s Ph.D. work investigated real-time microstructural and deformation evolution in magnesium alloys using advanced characterization techniques such high energy diffraction microscopy and electron back scatter diffraction. While at the University of Michigan, she led and worked on many teams aimed at increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in engineering, including developing and implementing a leadership camp for female engineering students in Monrovia, Liberia.
Dr. Leonard was awarded an NRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at the U.S, Naval Research Laboratory in Washington DC where she worked for two years. During this time, she used advanced characterization techniques such as x-ray computed tomography and high-energy diffraction microscopy to understand damage and texture evolution during in-situ loading in additive manufactured materials.
Professor Leonard also runs a lifestyle blog titled AerielViews aimed at young graduate and professional students.
Areas of research expertise
- in-situ synchrotron and electron microscopy techniques for mechanical behavior and microstructural evolution
- lightweight materials (Al, Mg)
- alloy adaption for additive manufacturing
- integrated computational materials engineering