Grant Crawford

PhD, Materials Science Engineering, Arizona State University
B.S., Metallurgical Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Brief Bio

Dr. Crawford is a professor in the Department of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering. Crawford also serves as the Director of the Arbegast Materials Processing and Joining (AMP) Laboratory. The AMP Laboratory is an institutional research laboratory which conducts both basic and applied research in advanced materials and manufacturing. AMP research is focused in four core technology areas: (1) friction stir welding/processing, (2) laser powder directed energy deposition (LPDED), (3) cold spray technology, and (4) advanced plasma coating technologies (e.g., physical vapor deposition, plasma electrolytic oxidation. After earning his Ph.D. from Arizona State University, Dr. Crawford worked in research and development at Intel Corporation in Chandler, AZ. Crawford joined South Dakota Mines as an Assistant Professor in 2011. Since joining the University, he has held numerous leadership roles including serving as the principal investigator for an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates program which operated for 10 years. He also served as the Director for the Surface Engineering Research Center (SERC), a multi-institutional collaborate research center in South Dakota.

Research Expertise

Dr. Crawford’s research has focused in the areas of printed electronics, orthopedic biomaterials, multifunctional thin film coatings, security and anti-counterfeiting technology, and advanced and additive manufacturing. Significantly, much of Crawford’s research is focused on establishing processing-microstructure-property relationships in advanced manufacturing (e.g. cold spray, LPDED, thin film coatings), with a specific emphasis on mechanical behavior of materials and microstructure characterization.

Teaching

Dr. Crawford primarily teaches courses in physical and mechanical metallurgy. Courses taught by Dr. Crawford previously include Physics of Metals (MET 330/330L), Mechanical Metallurgy (MET 440/540), Forensic Engineering (MET 450/550), Metallurgical Engineering Design (MET 464/465), and Advanced Biomaterials (BME 601/MET 601).