Voyiadjis Named the 2022 ASME Nadai Medalist

June 6, 2022

Image of George Z. Voyiadjis in a lab

BATON ROUGE, LA – Boyd Professor and Chair of the LSU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering George Z. Voyiadjis has been selected as the 2022 American Society of Mechanical Engineers Nadai Medalist for outstanding achievements in micro-mechanical characterization of plasticity and damage in materials and for pioneering contributions to multiscale modeling and localization problems.

The Nadai Medal is awarded in recognition of significant contributions and outstanding achievements that broaden the field of materials engineering. Such achievements may be, for example, in the areas of education, research, development, and service to the field and profession.

“This is a great honor for me, and I am extremely proud to be recognized by my peers in such a way,” Voyiadjis said. “This award represents a recognition way beyond anything I ever imagined as a student at Columbia University nearly 49 years ago.

“My experience in industry and my academic appointment in the US and overseas has allowed me to think in a more global sense and, at the same time, stay relevant to engineering applications in my research endeavors. That’s what keeps me grounded and gives me the ability to continue to do all of this work. Working with my students has been the catalyst of my success in my academic career. The importance of this interaction is to challenge them but also allow them to interact with you through the evolution of the research work.”

Voyiadjis is an expert in multi-scale modeling of size effects in materials with different methods of atomistic simulation and continuum-enhanced models, including gradient plasticity and gradient damage. His research activities of particular interest encompass macro- and micro-mechanical constitutive modeling, experimental procedures for quantification of crack densities, thermal effects, interfaces, failure, fracture, impact, and deflect nucleation and evolution in crystalline metals. 

Front and back image of the Nadai medal

Voyiadjis is a Foreign Member of the Academia Europaea (Physics & Engineering Sciences), the European Academy of Sciences, and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (Technical and Environmental Sciences). He is also a Foreign Member of both the Polish Academy of Sciences Division IV (Technical Sciences), and the National Academy of Engineering of Korea. He is the recipient of the 2008 Nathan M. Newmark Medal of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the 2012 Khan International Medal for outstanding life-long contribution to the field of plasticity. He was also the recipient of the Damage Mechanics Medal for his significant contribution to continuum damage mechanics in 2015.

In 1980, Voyiadjis began his career at LSU as an assistant professor after working at the California Institute of Technology, where he earned his master’s in civil engineering, and Columbia University, where he earned his PhD in engineering mechanics.

About the Nadai Medal

The Nadai Medal was established in 1975 on the proposal of the ASME Materials Division to honor Arpad L. Nadai, who was a pioneer in the field of engineering materials, contributing particularly to the area of plasticity. His perspective also enabled him to give strong impetus to development in fatigue and high-temperature behavior.

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Contact: Joshua Duplechain
Director of Communications
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josh@lsu.edu