Kessler Research Group

Michael Kessler, Ph.D., PE

ISU Campanile

Prof. Kessler is an expert in the mechanics, processing, and characterization of polymer matrix composites and nanocomposites. He teaches and conducts research in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at Iowa State University. His research thrusts include multifunctional- and nano-composites, materials with self-healing functionality, development of new manufacturing techniques for polymer composites, and the evaluation of these materials using experimental and computational solid mechanics techniques and thermal analysis. These broad-based topics span the fields of organic chemistry, applied mechanics, and processing science.

ISU MSE Dept.

In addition to his responsibilities as an assistant professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University , he is an associate of the Department of Energy (DOE) Ames Laboratory, and is an active affiliate of the Biocomposites Research Group of the Center for Crops Utilization Research at Iowa State .


Beckman Institute	Univ. of Tulsa

Prior to joining ISU in the Fall of 2005, Prof. Kessler worked for three years as a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Tulsa. He recieved his Ph.D. from the Dept. of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2002 where he worked as a Graduate Research Fellow at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology under the direction of Prof. Scott White. His thesis research was on the development of "self-healing" composite materials. While at Illinois he also served for four years as the Laboratory Manager of the Composites Manufacturing Lab in the Dept. of Aerospace Engineering.

In his short academic career he has developed an active research group with external funding of over 1.8 million dollars—including funding from the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office, and NASA. His honors and awards include an Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, Best Paper Awards from the American Society for Composites (ASC) and American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), and having his research selected by Popular Science as one of their Top Ten Science Stories of 2001. He has published over a dozen peer reviewed journal publications, holds 3 patents (with two others pending), has presented >50 talks at national and international meetings, and serves as a frequent reviewer and referee in his field.

Dr. Kessler grew up in Custer, S.D. and obtained his BS degree in Mechancial Engineering from LeTourneau University in 1996. He lives in Ames, IA with his wife, Michelle, and their two young children, Ethan and Kara.

Professor Michael Kessler · Materials Science and Engineering Department · Iowa State University
Office: 3275 Gilman Hall · Mail: 2220 Hoover Hall · Ames, IA 50011-2300 USA
Phone: +1-515-294-3101 · Fax: +1-515-294-5444· Email: mkessler@iastate.edu · http://mse.iastate.edu/mkessler