Igor Sevostianov, New Mexico State University associate professor of mechanical engineering, is the first recipient of the NMSU Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Academy Professorship.

"I am pleased that Igor has received this well-deserved recognition," said College of Engineering Dean Ricardo B. Jacquez. "His research contributions and teaching experience bring depth to the mechanical and aerospace program here at NMSU. He is a valued member of our faculty."

Sevostianov received his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in solid mechanics from St. Petersburg State University in Russia and joined the NMSU mechanical engineering faculty in 2001. In 2006, he received an NMSU University Research Council Award for Exceptional Achievement in Creative Scholarly Activity.

Sevostianov's research interests are in micromechanics of materials, structural health monitoring and biomechanics. He was recognized in 2007 for his study on the proper quantitative characterization of microstructures as the most-cited paper in the International Journal of Solids and Structures. He has a prolific publishing record and serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Engineering Sciences, as associate editor of the International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Multiscale Mechanics and as editor and co-editor of special issues of the International Journal of Engineering Sciences and Mechanics of Materials.

Sevostianov's research has important implications for the development of improved materials for surgical bone implants, as well as new materials for the aerospace and automotive industries and other fields. His research and teaching interests are in the area of theoretical solid mechanics, especially the micromechanics of inhomogeneous materials and material design.

Bone, with its porous structure, is an inhomogeneous material. Sevostianov is working on the development of materials that are chemically similar to bone for use in surgical implants. He is also working on developing composite materials with special properties - automotive materials that are lightweight but capable of absorbing impact energy in a collision, for instance, and materials that can provide a heat barrier for the blades in turbine engines. Sevostianov has been part of a research team working across disciplines and colleges at NMSU with other New Mexico universities for a statewide collaboration to study new pathways for energy generation.

The Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Academy Professorship endowment was launched in 2005 by then academy president Bill Medcalf and recently became fully endowed with a $150,000 gift from C. Gerald King. The purpose of the fund is to reward outstanding faculty who have made significant contributions toward the mission of preparing and graduating world-class engineers.