Enrique Lavernia
“I am humbled to receive this honor and recognition of my research,” said Provost and EVC Enrique Lavernia. “My fascination with metals, specifically metal powders, began early in my career, and I remain intrigued by the constantly evolving research questions in the field." Steve Zylius / UCI

Enrique Lavernia, UCI provost and executive vice chancellor, is the recipient of the 2020 Acta Materialia Gold Medal, an international award that recognizes leadership and outstanding contributions in materials science and engineering. Lavernia will accept the medal and present an overview of his work at the annual meeting of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society in San Diego next February. In addition to leading the university’s teaching and research enterprise as UCI’s chief academic and operating officer, Lavernia is a Distinguished Professor of materials science & engineering. His research involves the synthesis and behavior of multiscale and nanostructured materials, with particular emphasis on processing fundamentals and physical behavior. He has published more than 600 journal and 200 conference papers and been awarded 11 patents. “I am humbled to receive this honor and recognition of my research,” Lavernia said. “My fascination with metals, specifically metal powders, began early in my career, and I remain intrigued by the constantly evolving research questions in the field. I’ve been very fortunate to have had the support of my family and to have worked with inspiring and brilliant collaborators, dedicated students and postdocs, and numerous professors over the years.”