Matthew R. Begley is currently a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Materials at UCSB, having served previously on the faculty at the University of Connecticut (1997-2001) and the University of Virginia (2001-2009).  He received his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State (in 1991 and 1992, respectively) and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UCSB in 1995.  Begley was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University from 1995-1997.

Professor Begley’s research focus is on modeling and advanced simulations to guide materials development, systems design and manufacturing. Recent thrusts have centered on 3D printing of high performance cellular materials.

He has more than 120 archival publications: topics include cellular materials, advanced simulations for virtual testing, novel 3D printing strategies for two-phase materials, thermal/environmental barrier coatings, the structural integrity of microelectronics, nano-porous gold, and the performance of microfabricated devices for bioengineering. These works draw heavily on expertise in interfacial mechanics, structure-property relationships in multi-phase materials, numerical techniques for highly non-linear systems, 3D printing and multifunctional component design.  He has received funding from AFOSR, AFRL, DARPA, DOE, Intel, NIH, ONR and the Semiconductor Research Consortium, as well as numerous industrial partners. 

Prof. Begley’s research has led to his being an invited speaker at a broad range of venues, including Gordon Conferences in three areas (small-scale mechanics, 2006; microfluidics, 2013; corrosion, 2019) and numerous NAE workshops (materials insertion, 2013; performance and design, 2015; topology optimization, 2019). Professor Begley was a Keynote Speaker at the 2018 Chief Technology Officer Forum, and was co-leader of the winning team in the DARPA DMACE Challenge in 2010. In 2013, he was awarded a Fraunhofer-Bessel Fellowship from the Humboldt Foundation in Germany.

Prof. Begley has also served as a consultant regarding material behavior, structural performance and system design, for industries including nuclear energy (Areva), fuel cell energy (FCE), solar power (Sunpower), biomedical implants (4WEB, legal consulting), and thin films/coatings (Intel, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon).  Professor Begley has taught more than 15 different courses at all levels, including those in mechanics, design, and experimentation.  Prof. Begley's student evaluations rate him above school-wide averages, placing him in the top quartile of instructors.  Prof. Begley's students have found employment with ABAQUS, Intel, ATMI, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center,  the Harvard-MIT-MGH consortium for Bio-MEMS, the Weiss Institute at Harvard, NIST, and on the faculty at UC Davis.

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Honors and Awards:

1. •Invited Speaker, NAE-DMMI Workshop on Topology Optimization for Additive Manufacturing, 2019
   

2. •Invited Speaker, Gordon Conference on Corrosion, 2019
   

3. •Keynote Speaker, Chief Technology Officer Forum, 2018
   

4. •Best presentation, Thermal Barrier Coatings IV Conference, 2014 (student selection)
   

5. •Fraunhofer-Bessel Award, Humboldt Foundation, Germany, 2013
   

6. •Invited Speaker, Gordon Conference on Microfluidics, 2013
   

7. •DARPA DMACE Challenge Winner, Co-Leader, 2010
   

8. •Invited Speaker, Gordon Conference on Thin Films, 2006
   

9. •Virginia Engineering Foundation Faculty Fellowship, 2004 – 2009
   

10. •Invited Key Speaker, Advanced Metallization Conference, 2003
    

11. •University of Virginia Teaching Fellow, 2002-2003
    

12. •Key Speaker, International Conference on Fracture, 2001
    

13. •NSF Career Award, 2000
    

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