Nicole Benedek promoted to associate professor

Nicole Benedek has been approved for promotion to associate professor with indefinite tenure by the Cornell Board of Trustees. 

Benedek joined Cornell in 2015 and leads the Theory and Simulation of Materials Group, which uses theory and first-principles calculations to advance fundamental understanding and create design rules for new classes of materials that may host new phenomena and properties. She is particularly interested in phenomena for which understanding the out-of-equilibrium crystal structure is key. Recent work includes understanding how to induce extreme changes in material properties through ultrafast optical control of the crystal lattice. Another major focus has been on understanding the structural basis of thermal transport in inorganic materials, with a view towards formulating design principles for dynamically controllable transport properties. 

"I feel very fortunate to have such wonderful colleagues, not just in Materials Science and Engineering, but across the University. When I came to Cornell, I branched out into areas that I hadn’t even thought of working in before. The collaborative environment here, access to top-notch facilities and brilliant students and staff made it possible," said Benedek.