Zachary Chase
| Zachary Chase | |
|---|---|
| File:Zachary Chase.pngZachary Chase.png Zachary Chase in 2024 | |
| Born | Zachary Ahmad Chase Hattiesburg, Mississippi, U.S. |
| 🏫 Education | |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Zachary A. Chase is an American PhD student in materials science developing ceramic additive manufacturing methods for extreme aerospace environments.[1] His research at the California Institute of Technology and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory introduced a binder-free hybrid process for fabricating high-temperature composites.[2]
Early life and education
Chase was raised by his grandparents in rural Mississippi. He initially enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) in 2014 but withdrew during his first year to support his family following job loss and health challenges.[3][4] After returning to USM, he pursued a degree in polymer science and engineering. He joined the McNair Scholars Program, conducted research under Xiaodan Gu, and developed projects involving electrically conductive and flexible polymers for wearable medical devices.[5][6] In 2021, he was named a Goldwater Scholar and graduated as a member of the USM Honors College.[7]
Graduate studies and research
Chase began his Ph.D. at Caltech in 2022, joining the lab of Katherine T. Faber.[8][9] His research integrates laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) and reaction bonding to create high-temperature Al–Al₂O₃–YSZ ceramic composites without binders or compaction.[10] By applying targeted interfacial treatments to printed architectures, his work enhances oxide disruption, sintering densification, and dopant partitioning.[11] His work reveals how engineered dopant partitioning can stabilize cubic ZrO₂ and transform disordered aluminum–zirconia composites into robust alumina–zirconia systems.
Chase is affiliated with the Keck Institute for Space Studies and collaborates with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on materials for extreme space environments, including missions to Venus and metallic asteroids.[12] He also develops kinetic models to control phase transformations and porosity in ceramic structures.
Academic service and outreach
Prior to his graduate studies, Chase became the youngest director in the history of the Mississippi Council for the Blind, where he worked to improve accessibility and community engagement for visually impaired individuals.[13] Chase additionally formed the Graduate Student Advisory Board (GSAB) in Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science.[14] The board works closely with EAS Programs for Student Success to incorporate graduate student perspectives into the design and evaluation of student life programs.[15] He has also served as a peer mentor for programs that aid students in gaining the necessary social and cultural capital to successfully navigate graduate school. Chase has advocated for equity, accessibility, and community building especially among first generation, non-traditional students in graduate education. His outreach work includes appearances in public-facing science platforms such as 500 Queer Scientists and Young Science Stars.[16][17]
Chase was instrumental in organizing a community response following the Eaton fire in Pasadena.[18] Alongside fellow graduates, he initiated a merchandise fundraiser to benefit Caltech and JPL community members affected by the disaster. The resulting merchandise line contributed proceeds to the Caltech and JPL Disaster Relief Fund.
Awards and honors
- Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship (2021)[19]
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2022)[19]
- EAS New Horizons Award, Caltech (2024)[20]
- Ronald E. McNair Scholar[21]
References
- ↑ "Projects | Zachary Ahmad". Zachary Chase. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ "Faber Research Group". faber.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ "Publish Online". indd.adobe.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ "2023 Issues". www.southernmissalumni.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ Yan, Xinwen; Xiong, Miao; Li, Jia-Tong; Zhang, Song; Ahmad, Zachary; Lu, Yang; Wang, Zi-Yuan; Yao, Ze-Fan; Wang, Jie-Yu; Gu, Xiaodan; Lei, Ting (2019-12-26). "Pyrazine-Flanked Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP): A New Polymer Building Block for High-Performance n-Type Organic Thermoelectrics". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 141 (51): 20215–20221. Bibcode:2019JAChS.14120215Y. doi:10.1021/jacs.9b10107. ISSN 0002-7863. OSTI 1774739. PMID 31774667.
- ↑ Galuska, Luke A.; Ocheje, Michael U.; Ahmad, Zachary C.; Rondeau-Gagné, Simon; Gu, Xiaodan (2022-03-08). "Elucidating the Role of Hydrogen Bonds for Improved Mechanical Properties in a High-Performance Semiconducting Polymer". Chemistry of Materials. 34 (5): 2259–2267. doi:10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c04055. ISSN 0897-4756.
- ↑ "USM Continues Tradition of Multiple Goldwater Scholarship Winners". www.usm.edu. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ caltech (2024-06-04). Caltech Fellowships: Supporting Graduate Students. Retrieved 2025-07-24 – via YouTube.
- ↑ caltech (2024-04-10). Caltech Bonds: Graduate Students and Their Faculty Mentors. Retrieved 2025-07-24 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Chase, Zachary; Seager, Tomas; Cheikh, Dean; Li, Billy Chun-Yip; McEnerney, Bryan; Guerra, Jonathan; Borgonia, John P.; Firdosy, Samad; Faber, Katherine T. (2025-11-01). "Integrating laser-powder bed fusion and reaction bonding: A hybrid approach to high-temperature ceramic fabrication". Scripta Materialia. 268. doi:10.1016/j.scriptamat.2025.116881. ISSN 1359-6462. Unknown parameter
|article-number=ignored (help) - ↑ "Zachary Chase – Loop Profile". Loop. Frontiers Media SA.
- ↑ "KISS Affiliate: Zachary Chase". kiss.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ "Board of Directors". Mississippi Council for the Blind. Archived from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Zachary Chase - Division of Engineering and Applied Science". www.eas.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ "Graduate Student Advisory Board". Caltech Division of Engineering and Applied Science. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ "Zachary Ahmad". 500 Queer Scientists. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ "Zachary Chase". Young Science Stars. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ "New Caltech Merchandise to Raise Funds for Community Fire Relief". Ion Caltech Today. 2025-03-28. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 "CV / Resume | Zachary Ahmad". Zachary Chase. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ "Winners of the 2024 New Horizons Awards Announced". The Kavli Nanoscience Institute. 2024-05-31. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
- ↑ "McNair Alumni | McNair Scholars Program | The University of Southern Mississippi". www.usm.edu. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
External links
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