Dr. Douglas Matson Receives Award for Compelling Results at ISS Research and Development Conference

Dr. Douglas Matson received an award for Compelling Results at the 2023 ISS Research & Development Conference in Seattle, Washington. Matson is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University. He has been a Low Earth orbit researcher for decades, and he utilizes the International Space Station to study the thermophysical properties and solidification of structural alloys such as steels and superalloys, as well as advanced materials such as metallic glasses. His contributions to the International Space Station Research community are significant.  

Matson has served and significantly contributed to the ISS Research community for more than a decade. He is currently a co-chair for the National Academy of Science Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space (CBPSS). Matson has served as president of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR) and as principal investigator for two International Space Station projects. He is the chair of the ISS National Laboratory User Advisory Committee. Matson is a fellow of ASGSR and ASM International. He earned a Ph.D. in materials engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

The objective of Matson’s experiments utilizing electromagnetic levitation in space are to investigate the effect of fluid flow on the solidification path of structural alloys. Matson utilizes space-based electromagnetic levitation to access conditions where convection and melt shear are controllable, selectable experimental parameters during rapid solidification. Understanding of how stirring influences phase selection and material performance is a transformative evolutionary step for process modeling and enables development of computational thermodynamics simulations to provide industry with a guide on how to successfully demonstrate new pathways to invent the next generation of advanced and structural materials.