Darren Pagan
Darren Pagan earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University in 2010 and his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University in 2016. His dissertation research focused on developing crystal kinematic and scattering models for quantifying heterogeneous plastic deformation in single crystals during thermo-mechanical loading from in-situ X-ray data. As a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Pagan developed new methods for integrating diffraction data with crystal plasticity finite element modeling and used X-ray techniques to characterize granular material deformation in-situ under quasi-static and dynamic loading conditions.
Prior to joining Penn State, Pagan was a staff scientist overseeing the structural materials and mechanics program at the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). At CHESS, he oversaw the design, construction, and commissioning of the Structural Materials Beamline (SMB) and the Forming and Shaping Technology Beamline (FAST). Pagan joined the faculty of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) at Penn State in 2020.
This faculty member is associated with the Penn State Intercollege Graduate Degree Program (IGDP) in Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) where a multitude of perspectives and cross-disciplinary collaboration within research is highly valued. Graduate students in the IGDP in MatSE may work with faculty members from across Penn State.
The Pagan Research Group focuses on understanding the microstructure and processing origins of complex deformation and failure process across material classes, particularly metallic alloys and ceramics. The goal of this research is to extract quantitative measures of microstructure evolution in situ and in operando to develop, calibrate, and validate computational models, in addition to accelerating the design of superior materials. To make this possible, we develop novel characterization methods (primarily X-ray-based) supported by integrated thermomechanical and scattering modeling. Machine learning and automated experimentation are also often deployed in service of these goals.
Current research projects include:
- In situ characterization of defect structure evolution during dwell fatigue in titanium (Ti) alloys
- Combining 3D in situ strain measurements and finite element modeling to characterize the role of neighborhood on local switching in textured piezoelectric ceramics
- Multi-modal characterization of slip transfer across grain boundaries in face-centered cubic (FCC) and body-centered cubic (BCC) alloys
- Developing a fractional-calculus crystal plasticity framework informed by 3D microstructure measurements
- Multiscale modeling and simulation of the origins of ductile fracture in polycrystalline FCC alloys
- Applying in situ scattering and automated experimentation to understand and optimize thin film ferroelectrics for memory applications
- Understanding dislocation organization in bulk metallic polycrystals using coherent X-ray scattering
- K. M. Peterson, K. E. Nygren, R. Asokkumar, S. E. Gustafson, A. R. Woll, M. Obstalecki, P. A. Shade, and D. C. Pagan. “Observing dwell fatigue stress redistribution in Ti-6Al-4V grain neighborhoods using high energy X-rays”. Acta Materialia (2026), 122371.
- R. Asokkumar, D. Anjaria, J. C. Stinville, and D. C. Pagan. “Quantitative assessment of the role of local and neighborhood features on the grain-scale response of Inconel 718”. Materials Science and Engineering: A 942 (2025), 148658
- R. J. Knox, R. Carson, M. Rolchigo, K. S. Shanks, J. Belak, and D. C. Pagan. “Elucidating texture and grain morphology contributions to the micromechanical response of additively manufactured Inconel 625”. Materials Science and Engineering: A (2025), 148824.
- R. E. Lim, S.-L. Shang, C. Chuang, T. Q. Phan, Z.-K. Liu, and D. C. Pagan. “Deconvoluting thermomechanical effects in X-ray diffraction data using machine learning”. Foundations of Crystallography 81.2 (2025).
- N. Warren, C. Skidmore, K. J. Harmon, W. Cha, J.-P. Maria, S. O. Hruszkewycz, and D. C. Pagan. “Processing-dependent chemical ordering in Cu3Au characterized via non-destructive Bragg coherent diffraction imaging”. Scripta Materialia 267 (2025), 116820.
- K. M. Peterson, J.-S. Park, P. Kenesei, C. W. Herr, A. Pilchak, M. Kasemer, and D. C. Pagan. “Determining anisotropic slip system rate sensitivities of Ti-6Al-4V using high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy”. Journal of Materials Science 60.41 (2025), 20081–20094.
- K. M. Peterson, M. Harr, A. Pilchak, S. L. Semiatin, N. Levkulich, J. Ruff, and D. C. Pagan. “3D in situ observations of stress redistribution in Ti-6Al-4V within rogue grain neighborhoods during monotonic and cyclic loading”. International Journal of Fatigue 190 (2025), 108630.
- 2026 NSF CAREER Award
- 2025 G. Montgomery and Marion Mitchell Award for Innovative Teaching
- 2024 TMS-AIME 2024 AIME Robert Lansing Hardy Award
- 2024 TMS-AIME Champion H. Mathewson Award
- 2020 AFOSR Young Investigator Award