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March 2007, Issue #56
Extreme Engineer of the Month
Profile: Brian Korgel, Associate Professor, Frank A. Liddell, Jr. Centennial Fellow, University of Texas; Fellow, Center for Nano and Molecular Science and Technology; Principal, The Korgel Group
Brian in the lab with some nanocrystals.
Education:
- Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of California at Los Angeles (1997)
- Post-doctoral Fellow, University College Dublin, Ireland (1997-1998)
Favorite Classes: 20th Century British Poetry, Recombinant DNA Technology, Solid State Chemistry, and Biochemical Engineering.
Best Skills: Creativity, writing, and listening to others.
Hobbies: Playing guitar, skiing, playing soccer, and coaching his kids’ teams.
Role Models: His most important role models were his PhD. and post-doc advisors and his father, who was also an engineer.
Advice: “The most important thing to do is follow your interests. It’s easy to think that there is a road map, but most often the things you do that are unique and different from everyone else end up defining your success. Volunteer and get involved in things outside of class, and don’t be afraid to take risks.”
In high school Brian was sure he wanted to become a doctor. Because pre-med is not a major, he decided to major in bioengineering. Early into his undergraduate studies the bioengineering department at UCLA was moved into the chemical engineering program. So as Brian says, he became a chemical engineer by default. He did, however, take advantage of several special course options in bioengineering. He quickly adds that in the long run it worked to his benefit. “Chemical engineering is broad, and it has lots of options,” he said. Among these are environmental engineering, microelectronics, and materials.
Despite the rigorous of his major, Brian found plenty of time to participate in student life. He was a member of the UCLA cycling and ski teams and played in a rock band. He also took classes in creative writing and was one of the editors for the UCLA poetry journal. The creative writing and poetry gave him a solid base to write lyrics for the band. In additional to playing guitar he was the lead singer in the group. Brian says that those skills translated well into his research and teaching career. “Writing is an important key to research, and I’m not afraid to get up in from of a group of people and talk,” he says. “It was much harder for me to sing in front of a crowd.”
During his undergraduate work, one of his professors invited him to do research in a lab. Brian enjoyed it so much that he changed his career plans. He now knew he wanted to go to graduate school in chemical engineering and set his sights on obtaining a Ph.D. Several major biotech firms had been founded out of UCLA, and he thought he wanted to start a company of his own. After getting his Ph.D., however, he decided he loved research and wanted to follow an academic track.
Brian’s first move after graduation was to accept a post doctoral fellowship in Dublin, Ireland, for a year and a half with the university’s chemistry department. This exposed him to a different discipline and taught him to look at problems differently than engineers. After completing that assignment, he contacted 49 universities in the United States. He had a strong publications record and knew he wanted to do research and teach. He was offered several positions, but selected the University of Texas at Austin because of their close fit to his interests and the quality of life in Austin, Tex. By this time Brian had married and had two young children. He says Austin was a great fit for his whole family.
Brian at his desk buried in papers.
Brian is currently an associate professor at UT teaching a range of subjects including microelectronics processing, thermodynamics, several core courses for chemical engineering including unit operations, materials science and engineering classes, and graduate classes in nanotechnology. In addition to teaching he is the director of the University of Texas doctoral portfolio in nanotechnology. This is a grouping of specialty courses offered to 80 students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in natural science, engineering, physics, and chemistry. The students get a Ph.D. in their home discipline with a certificate in nanotechnology.
One of the focus areas for Brian’s research is nanomaterials with controlled shapes, such as silicon nanowires. Potential uses include creating transistors that dramatically lower the cost of electronics and nanostructures that interface with biological systems. His research on semiconductor quantum dots on nerve cells has received a lot of press coverage. Possible uses include detecting and diagnosing cancer and delivering therapy directly to cancer cells.
Brian and his wife laughing at an event where
he "roasted" his department chair.
Brian thoroughly enjoys the creativity and excitement his career has offered. “Students often don’t realize how creative science and engineering is,” he said. “We’re working at the edge of what people know and it’s an amazing thrill to uncover or invent something entirely new and unanticipated.”
For more information on Brian’s research and program, visit:
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