Skip to main content. Gold  University of Minnesota M.University of Minnesota. Home page.
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Adjust Font Size: Normal Large X-Large

Richard D James
Russell J. Penrose Professor and Distinguished McKnight University Professor

Richard James
Contact Information

Richard James' area of research is phase transformations in materials - especially shape memory and magnetostrictive materials - at large and small scales. This involves the development of mathematical methods for the analysis of the microstructure of materials, particularly the development of weak convergence methods for understanding the relation between the behavior of materials on different scales. These theoretical methods have application to the discovery of new materials, and his recent research concerns the development of new materials that combine two of the three properties: ferromagnetism, ferroelectricity, shape-memory. A further application of this theory is the understanding of the origins of hysteresis in such materials, and the discovery of new materials with exceptionally low hysteresis. Another branch of his research concerns the properties of transforming materials and structures at very small scales, together with applications to the development of exceedingly small airplanes and submarines.  Part of this research involves the study of a remarkable phase transformation that occurs in the tail sheath of bacteriophage T4, a virus that attacks bacteria.  This transformation plays an important role in infection of the host, but is also a prototype for a nanoscale actuator, made of proteins, that can interact with biological systems at the scale of biomolecular processes.

Degrees

Sc.B., Engineering, Brown University, 1974.
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 1979.

Experience

2002-Present: Russell J. Penrose Professor Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota
1998-Present: Distinguished McKnight University Professor
Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota
1991-Present: Professor Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota
1985-1991: Associate Professor Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota 1981-1985: Assistant Professor Division of Engineering, Brown University
1979-1980: Research Fellow in Mechanics and Thermodynamics University of Minnesota

Five Recent Publications

  • Traian Dumritica and Richard D. James, 2007, Objective molecular dynamics, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 55 (2007) 2206–2236, (Journal Article) More Details, Request PDF
  • L. Liu, R.D. James, and P. H. Leo, 2006, Magnetostrictive composites in the dilute limit, J. Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 54, pp. 951–974., (Journal Article) More Details, Request PDF
  • Wayne Falk and R.D. James, 2006, An elasticity theory for self-assembled protein lattices with application to the martensitic transformation in bacteriophage T4 tail sheath, Phys. Rev. E73, 11917, (Journal Article) More Details, Request PDF
  • J. Cui, Y. S. Chu, O. Famodu, Y. Furuya, J. Hattrick-Simpers, R.D. James, A. Ludwig, S. Thienhaus, M. Wuttig, Z. Zhang and I. Takeuchi, 2006, Combinatorial search of thermoelastic shape memory alloys with extremely small hysteresis width, Nature Materials, online publication, (Journal Article) More Details, Request PDF
  • Gero Friesecke, Richard D. James, Stefan Muller, 2006, A hierarchy of plate models derived from nonlinear elasticity by È-convergence, Arch. Rational Mech. Anal., 180, pp. 183–236., (Journal Article) More Details, Request PDF
See more publications

Honors and Fellowships

2006: Alexander von Humboldt Senior Research Award, Background; John von Neumann Professorship, TU Munich, Background
2002: Mary Shepard B. Upson Visiting Chair, Cornell University College of Engineering
1999: Rothschild Visiting Professor Background, Cambridge University Best Paper award, ASME/SPIE Smart Materials,
1998: Distinguished McKnight University Professor Background
1997: Fellow, American Academy of Mechanics
Featured Review (in Mathematical Reviews) Background
1993: Member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, Term I, Background
1991: George Taylor Distinguished Research Award Background
Institute of Technology, University of Minnesota Background
1976-1978: IBM Fellow, the Johns Hopkins University Background

Editorial Positions

1999-Present: Chief Editor with J.M. Ball,
Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis
1998-Present: Editorial board,
Interfaces and Free Boundaries
1997-Present: Editorial Advisor,
Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids
1996-Present: Editorial Board,
Journal of Elasticity
1991-1998: Editorial Board,
Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis
1989-Present: Editorial board,
Journal of Intelligent Materials and Structures,
Technomic Publishing (begun January 1989, relaunched January 1993)
1988-Present: Editorial Board,
Continuum Mechanics and Thermodynamics,Springer-Verlag

Current Courses

Graduate
AEM 8541 -- Mechanics of Crystalline Solids

Subjects and Courses Taught

Undergraduate
AEM 4602W -- Aeromechanics Laboratory
Graduate
AEM 5503 -- Theory of Elasticity
AEM 8500 -- Research Seminar in Mechanics of Materials
AEM 8541 -- Mechanics of Crystalline Solids
AEM 8551 -- Multiscale Methods for Bridging Length and Time Scales
AEM 8595 -- Selected Topics in Mechanics and Materials
Curriculum Vitae Brief Biographical Sketch

Last Modified: Wednesday, 02-Jan-2008 05:59:02 CST -- this is in International Standard Date and Time Notation

©2007 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
Trouble seeing the text? | Contact U of M | Privacy
Page problems?
Email: wwwmaster AT-SYMBOL aem.umn.edu