Jon-Paul Maria, Dorothy Pate Enright Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State, has been named interim head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE), effective July 1. Maria will lead the department while John Mauro, current department head, begins service as the interim John Leone Dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS).
Maria joined Penn State in 2018 after 15 years on the faculty at North Carolina State University. A Penn State alumnus, he earned bachelor’s degree in ceramic science and engineering in 1994, his master’s degree in materials science and engineering in 1996 and his doctoral degree in ceramic science in 1998. His research spans electroceramics, electronic materials, thin films and synthesis science.