Amy Clarke

Growing up in Houghton and the child of alumni, choosing Michigan Tech was an easy choice. "In high school, I had a great experience working in what is now the Materials Science and Engineering Department. Professor Don Mikkola was an amazing mentor. I had hands-on experience working in his lab and performing research."

Since graduating in 2000 with a BS degree in Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, Amy has built upon her Michigan Tech education to achieve great success. She added MS and PhD degrees in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines (Mines) and received the Willy Korf Award for Young Excellence in 2007 for her PhD research on advanced high strength steels.

Her early career began as a G.T. Seaborg Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), studying uranium alloy microstructural development. She credits Michigan Tech for developing her strong work ethic and teaching her how to write well, a skill that she has valued in her academic career. Dr. Clarke is currently a Professor and the John Henry Moore Endowed Chair of Metallurgy, Co-Director of the Center for Advanced Non-Ferrous Structural Alloys - a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center, and a faculty member with the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center in the George S. Ansell Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at Mines. She holds joint appointments with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the Nuclear Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in the Materials Science and Technology Division, and is a Guest Scientist in Sigma Division at LANL. Her research focuses on physical metallurgy and making, measuring, and modeling metallic alloys during processing to realize advanced manufacturing.

Amy serves on The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) Foundation Board of Trustees, has served on the TMS and Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST) Boards of Directors, is a TMS Brimacombe Medalist, and a Fellow of ASM International (FASM). She received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) – the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers in 2011. Dr. Clarke was also named the Michigan Tech Outstanding Young Alumna in 2013.   

Dr. Clarke advises young alumni that it is important to be able to collaborate and be a team member and leader, which has been a key to her success. "Your career will meander; there is no right or wrong path. Be open to opportunities and take them." She currently resides in Golden, Colorado.

Updated January 2022