Research Interests

Processing, microstructure, and property relationships in structural metals and alloys. Alloy classes of interest include light metals, steels, superalloys, and refractory metals. Mechanical testing at room and elevated temperatures and microstructure/microtexture characterization.

Bio

Dr. Taleff specializes in the mechanical behavior and the thermo-mechanical processing of structural materials, with emphasis on processing-microstructure-property relationships. His current research interests include the ductility of Al-Mg alloys at elevated temperatures, including superplasticity and superplastic alloys, and processing-microstructure-property relationships in hypereutectoid steels, particularly for high-strength wire applications. The Taleff Research Group works in these and other areas related to structural materials. Dr. Taleff was a member of the faculty of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from 1995 until 1998, and since 1998 has been a member of the faculty of the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is an active member in the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, ASM International, and American Society of Professional Engineers professional societies. He has received several awards and honors, including: 1998 Faculty Excellence Award for the AEEM Department; 1998 Young Leader Internship of the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society; and 1997 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award; 2001 Texas Excellence Teaching Award for the Cockrell School of Engineering from the Ex-Students' Association and the Cabinet of College Councils; and the 2001 Cockrell School of Engineering Award for Outstanding Engineering Teaching by an Assistant Professor, sponsored by Lockheed-Martin. He became the Faculty Advisor for Pi Tau Sigma, the National Honorary Mechanical Engineering Society in 2003. In 2005 he received the Charlotte Maer Patton Centennial Fellowship in Engineering. Dr. Taleff is also a member of the University of Texas Texas Materials Institute.

Select Publications

1. Thomas J. Bennett IV and Eric M. Taleff. “Effects of Strain and Strain Rate on Dynamic Grain Growth and Subgrain Evolution during Plastic Deformation of an Interstitial-free Steel at 850 °C.” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 56A(8), August 2025, pp. 3193-3207. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-025-07832-2)
2. Thomas J. Bennett IV, Eric M. Taleff, Pashupati Dhakal, Shreyas Balachandran, Peter J. Lee, Thomas R. Bieler, and Philip Eisenlohr. “Effects of Grain Size and Interstitial Content on Recrystallization in Nb after Cold Rolling.” IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, Vol. 35(5), August 2025, p. 250805 (5 pages). (https://doi.org/10.1109/TASC.2025.3538673)
3. Thomas J. Bennett IV and Eric M. Taleff. “Solute Drag Creep in Niobium Alloy C103 (Nb-10Hf-1Ti) at 1550 to 1750 °C.” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 56A(1), January 2025, pp. 62-76. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-024-07617-z)
4. S. L. Semiatin, N. C. Levkulich, P. N. Fagin, T. M. Butler, T. J. Bennett IV, and E. M. Taleff. “Determination and Modeling of the Plastic-Flow Behavior of a Strain- and Strain-Rate-Hardening Material via the Constant-Stress, Constant-Heating-Rate Test.” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 55A(12), December 2024, pp. 5206-5220. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-024-07617-z)
5. Thomas J. Bennett IV and Eric M. Taleff. “Imaging and Segmenting Grains and Subgrains using Backscattered Electron Techniques.” Microscopy & Microanalysis, Vol 30(5), October 2024 pp. 913-924. (https://doi.org/10.1093/mam/ozae092)
6. Danny E. Nikolai and Eric M. Taleff. “Tearing Resistance of AA7075-T6 Sheet at 25 °C and 180 to 200 °C.” Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, October 2024. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-024-10133-1)
7. Thomas J. Bennett IV and Eric M. Taleff. “Dynamic Grain Growth Driven by Subgrain Boundaries in an Interstitial-free Steel during Deformation at 850 °C.” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 55A(2), February 2024, pp. 329-446. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-023-07256-w)
8. Emily A. D. Brady and Eric M. Taleff. “The Effects of Impurity Content on Plastic Deformation and Microstructure Evolution in Niobium at Temperatures from 1473 to 1773 K.” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 53A(10), August 2022, pp. 3057-3072. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-022-06726-x)
9. Katherine E. Rader, Jon T. Carter, Louis G. Hector, Jr., and Eric M. Taleff. “Retrogression Forming and Reaging of an AA7075-T6 Alclad Sheet Material.” Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, Vol. 31(7), July 2022, pp. 5311-5323. (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-022-06663-1)
10. Katherine E. Rader, Jon T. Carter, Louis G. Hector, Jr., and Eric M. Taleff. “Plastic Deformation and Ductility of AA7075 and AA6013 at Warm Temperatures Suitable to Retrogression Forming.” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 52A(9), September 2021, pp. 4003-4017. (doi: 10.1007/s11661-021-06360-z)