Dr. Evan Ma is a distinguished professor and leading authority in materials science whose career has spanned prestigious institutions across the United States and China. He currently serves as Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Xi'an Jiaotong University, a position he has held since 2020 following his distinguished 18-year tenure as Professor at Johns Hopkins University. Before his time at Johns Hopkins, he established his independent research program as Assistant and Associate Professor at Louisiana State University after completing his postdoctoral training at MIT, University of Michigan, and University of Illinois. Dr. Ma received his PhD from Tsinghua University with thesis work conducted at Caltech, building upon his undergraduate and master's education at the same institution in Beijing.
Dr. Ma's groundbreaking research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of metastable materials, particularly through his pioneering work elucidating atomic-scale structures of non-equilibrium materials such as amorphous alloys and phase-change memory alloys. His investigations into high entropy alloys, nanostructured metals, and the role of dislocations and twins in plastic deformation have established foundational principles that guide contemporary materials design. With over 420 publications cited more than 66,000 times (Google Scholar h-index 129), his work has exceptional impact, including more than 30 papers in premier journals such as Nature, Science, and Nature Materials. Dr. Ma's insights into the relationship between microstructure and properties of complex alloys have enabled the development of novel materials with exceptional mechanical and functional properties that address critical technological challenges.
As a highly respected figure in the global materials science community, Dr. Ma has received numerous prestigious honors including election as Fellow of ASM International, American Physical Society, Materials Research Society, TMS, and most recently the European Academy of Sciences. His leadership extends to directing the Center for Alloy Innovation and Design at Xi'an Jiaotong University, where he continues to advance the frontiers of materials science through innovative computational and experimental approaches. Dr. Ma has mentored numerous students and researchers who have gone on to establish their own successful careers in academia and industry, significantly expanding the impact of his scientific legacy. His ongoing research focuses on developing next-generation alloys with unprecedented combinations of strength, ductility, and functionality, positioning his work at the forefront of materials innovation for future energy, transportation, and information technologies.
