When Harrison Teutschbein was a high school student in Bay Village, Ohio, he learned about the field of materials science during a lecture about different careers in his chemistry class. “I was drawn to how integral materials science was to so many technological advancements.” He then went on to earn a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan.
After graduating from Michigan, Teutschbein spent two years as a product engineer at Trelleborg Toledo before coming to Case Western Reserve University in June 2022 for his Ph.D. studies. Shortly after arriving on the CWRU campus, he was named a Swanger Fellow.
"I am so excited to offer Harrison the Swanger Fellowship,” said his advisor, Associate Professor Jennifer Carter. “His industrial experience was just what the Office of Naval Research project on silicon nitride processing for heat exchangers really needed. He took ownership of the program in his first summer here and made great strides toward project milestones. Professor James McGuffin-Cawley and I are excited to mentor him along his Ph.D. journey and work with him as he tries to combine his interests in ceramics manufacturing and materials data science.”
Primarily interested in high-temperature materials, processing of materials, and data science techniques, Teutschbein was drawn to CWRU for its reputation, abundance of research opportunities, collaborative nature and “beautiful campus.” During his Ph.D. studies, he hopes to make better use of data science in his research and develop his abilities in the process of research. He thanked Carter and McGuffin-Cawley for being "incredibly helpful in my transition to graduate school" since he arrived at CWRU in June 2022.
Looking back on his materials career so far, Teutschbein is most proud of his role in improving processing methods for MoSiB alloys during his time at Trelleborg. In his work with the alloys, he worked to improve fracture toughness and high-temperature oxidation resistance by refining processing techniques. While at Trelleborg, he also conducted research on the processing and properties of other novel materials.
After Teutschbein graduates from CWRU, he hopes to “refine processes for materials to be more energy-efficient, while still improving the materials our society needs.
