Cem Tasan is named new chief of MIT’s Materials Research Laboratory 

C. Cem Tasan, the POSCO Associate Professor of Metallurgy in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE), has been appointed the new director of the MIT Materials Research Laboratory. 

MRL is an interdisciplinary hub for materials science and engineering, supporting research in nanotechnology, quantum materials, energy storage, electronics, structural materials such as advanced metals and composites, and more. Under Tasan’s leadership, the lab aims to deepen the engagement among materials researchers across MIT and expand collaborations with industrial partners. 

“MRL is a strategic asset for MIT, and Cem has a clear vision to build upon the lab’s engagement with materials researchers across the breadth of the Institute as well as with external collaborators and sponsors,” wrote Ian A. Waitz, MIT’s vice president for research, in a statement. 

Tasan is known for pushing the limits of metallurgy, exploring how metals break and engineering new damage-resistant alloys. His research group studies metals’ response to stress and other conditions using a technique called in-situ electron microscopy, which allows scientists to observe materials at the microscopic or atomic scale while they are exposed to real-time conditions—such as heating, stretching, or exposure to chemicals. 

He takes over leadership of MRL from Lionel “Kim” Kimerling, the Thomas Lord Professor in Materials Sciences and Engineering at DMSE, who has served as interim director since 2023. Tasan and staff at MRL held a lunch at MIT on Friday to thank Kimerling for his leadership.  

“Kim entered as the interim director and not only did what is the minimum required, but also, with enormous enthusiasm, pushed MRL to be active and important,” said Tasan. “This is for me personally, a wonderful model as a director. I find myself very lucky to take over from Kim.” 

Calling Tasan’s research “superstar quality,” Kimerling praised his optimism and drive. “That’s the attitude that has always been successful for our materials’ community, in particular MRL.” 

MRL was established in 2017 through the merger of the Materials Processing Center and the Center for Materials Science and Engineering. Past research has led to innovations such as “perfect mirror” technology for fiber optic surgery and the first room-temperature germanium laser—innovations that exemplify the lab’s role in advancing materials research and discovery. 

Tasan, a native of Turkey, studied metallurgical and materials engineering at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara and earned a PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands in 2010. He later led a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research in Germany before joining DMSE’s faculty in 2015. He earned tenure in 2022, and in 2024 received the Brimacombe Medal from The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society for his pioneering contributions to in-situ microscopy testing. 

“MRL has always been a hub for cutting-edge research, where science and engineering intersect to solve some of the most pressing challenges in materials,” Tasan said. “As director, I plan to strengthen our focus on discussion, collaboration and innovation. The future is so bright.”