Seed Grant Program
Seed-Supported Research
CAMM seed funding supports new and expanding research directions that strengthen interdisciplinary materials research, shared capabilities, and future collaboration.
Seed-supported projects may connect to existing IRGs, emerging research directions, future IRG planning, shared capabilities, or Center-level strategic priorities.
Project Portfolio
Supporting research growth across CAMM.
Current and future projects are organized by award year, research designation, theme area, and project progress.
Project Snapshot
Seed funding supports project development, shared capabilities, and new research directions.
4
Featured projects
Current seed-supported projects featured in this portfolio.
3
Year 3 projects
New projects supporting advanced ceramics, synthesis, manufacturing, and characterization.
1
Active Year 2 project
A continuing project supporting automated synthesis workflows.
Growth
Future awards
Future seed-supported projects will be added as the portfolio expands.
Year 3 Projects
New seed-supported research projects
Year 3 Seed-Supported Project
Delower Hossain
A Synthesis Paradigm for Refractory Compositionally Complex Ceramics
This project supports combinatorial thin-film synthesis of refractory high-entropy carbides, nitrides, and carbo-nitrides using advanced magnetron sputtering methodologies.
Research Designation
IRG 2
Theme Area
Expanded combinatorial synthesis capabilities for borides, carbides, nitrides, and related refractory ceramic systems.
Project Progress
- Supports rapid synthesis across broad compositional spaces.
- Builds capability around a custom six-gun magnetron sputtering chamber.
- Strengthens CAMM research in refractory compositionally complex ceramics.
Year 3 Seed-Supported Project
Caen Ang and Brett Compton
Zirconium Diboride–Carbon Fiber Composites with Tailorable Thermal Conductivity via Rotational Direct Ink Writing and Spark Plasma Sintering
This project expands CAMM capabilities in additively manufactured ultra-high-temperature ceramic composites, including direct ink writing workflows and sintering approaches for ceramic composite systems.
Research Designation
IRG 2
Theme Area
Advanced manufacturing capabilities for ultra-high-temperature ceramic composite systems.
Project Progress
- Develops direct ink writing workflows for ceramic composite systems.
- Uses spark plasma sintering and related sintering approaches.
- Supports research into ultra-high-temperature materials for extreme environments.
Year 3 Seed-Supported Project
Khalid Hattar
Development of Capabilities for Understanding Laser Processing at the Nanoscale via In-Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy
This project supports laser-based characterization infrastructure at the Tennessee Ion Beam Materials Laboratory, with a focus on nanoscale understanding of laser processing.
Research Designation
IRG 2
Theme Area
Expanded characterization capabilities for extreme-environment studies.
Project Progress
- Supports in-situ TEM laser heating capabilities.
- Advances transient grating spectroscopy infrastructure.
- Adds laser-processing capability for future high-temperature studies.
Year 2 Active Project
Continuing seed-supported research project
Year 2 Project Active in Year 3
Dustin Gilmer
Advanced Synthesis of Compositionally Complex Carbides Using Polymer-Derived Ceramics for Extreme Environmental Applications
This project supports molecular-derived ceramic synthesis and high-throughput automated synthesis of compositionally complex carbide systems.
Research Designation
IRG 2
Theme Area
Automated synthesis workflows for borides, carbides, nitrides, and related extreme-environment materials.
Project Progress
- Builds automated synthesis workflows for compositionally complex carbides.
- Uses a modified Opentrons OT-2 robotic synthesis platform for inert-atmosphere operation.
- Supports high-throughput discovery of ceramic materials for extreme environments.