Dr. George M. Pharr, professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, has been recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) for his work in the development of nano-indentation and fundamental contributions in the field of contact mechanics. Pharr has made significant contributions in materials science during a distinguished academic career at Texas A&M, Rice University and the University of Tennessee.
He was honored with the Nadai Medal at the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition held recently in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ASME cites Pharr for a research career spanning 38 years. Beginning at Rice with a faculty appointment in 1980, Pharr has conducted investigations of hardness, friction, wear, and other performance characteristics of metals and various other materials in surface contact. While at the University of Tennessee (UT), Pharr served as director of the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials, a partnership of UT and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
A Ph.D. graduate of Stanford University, Pharr is a fellow of the Materials Research Society, ASM International and the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2014.