Materials Science and Engineering University Distinguished Research Professor Raj Banerjee has been named a UNT Regents Professor for his seminal contributions to research in the field of materials science and engineering at the national and international levels.

A Regents Professorship Award provides recognition to faculty who have performed outstanding teaching, research and service to the profession, and who have achieved a high level of national and international recognition.

Banerjee’s work focuses on lightweight metallic materials, high temperature alloys, metal matrix composites, metallic thin films and high entropy alloys for aerospace, biomedical, and energy-related applications. He also has been working in the area of 3D printing or additive manufacturing of metals since 2004, and is considered one of the pioneers of this technology at UNT.

Recently, Banerjee was awarded a $900,000 grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research to create new aircraft alloys expected to revolutionize the future of aerospace materials. In total, Banerjee has received more than $10 million in research funding at UNT.

“Raj is clearly an international leader in metal alloys and processing, including his pioneering achievements in additive manufacturing research for over a decade. He is eager to share his expertise with undergraduate and graduate students, contributing to exemplary engineering education and research excellence,” said Andrey Voevodin, chair of the department. “This award is the reflections of Raj’s impact on the UNT research enterprise and new education opportunities for our engineering graduates.”

Banerjee also played a substantial role in the development of UNT’s nationally-ranked materials science and engineering department since its earliest days under the College of Engineering and its Materials Research Facility (MRF).

Banerjee will be formally honored for his accomplishments at the Salute to Faculty Excellence awards dinner October 5, 2018.