Dr. Shefford Baker

Biography

Shefford P. Baker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell University. He earned his undergraduate degree in Music from the University of New Mexico, followed by a Master’s and Ph.D. in Materials Science Engineering from Stanford University in 1988 and 1993, respectively. After completing his Ph.D., he worked as a staff scientist at the Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung in Stuttgart from 1993 to 1997. He joined the Cornell faculty in 1998 and has served as a visiting professor at the Université Paul Cézanne in Marseille during the summer of 2006. Baker's research has focused on the unique mechanical properties of materials, particularly at the microstructural and nanometer scale, with interests in thin films, nanopatterned structures, and their characterization using advanced techniques. He has received multiple teaching awards at Cornell for his contributions to undergraduate engineering education and has taken on leadership roles within professional societies, such as the Materials Research Society, where he served as President in 2009. His notable research projects have been funded by the NSF, exploring the mechanical behaviors and structural characteristics of tantalum thin films and the complexities of bone microstructure.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards