Research Interests

Analytical investigations of surface and interfacial phenomena; development of thin films and materials for tribological applications; advanced surface spectroscopy (X-ray); scanning probe microscopy.

Bio

Dr. Filippo Mangolini earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland) in 2011, after graduating from Polytechnic University of Milan (Milan, Italy) in Materials Engineering with the highest honor in 2006. Upon completion of his Ph.D. in 2011, Dr. Mangolini performed postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania and then at Ecole Centrale de Lyon (Lyon, France). His postdoctoral research was supported by the European Union through a Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship and by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) through an SNSF Postdoctoral Fellowship. After two years at the University of Leeds (Leeds, UK) as a University Academic Fellow and Marie Curie Fellow, Dr. Mangolini joined the faculty of the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin in Spring 2018 as an Assistant Professor in Materials Science and Engineering. In Fall 2020 he was appointed as a Walker Scholar.

Dr. Mangolini has received a number of international and national awards and honors for outstanding research and teaching achievements, including the 2025 President’s Associates Graduate Teaching Excellence Award, 2022 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Burt L. Newkirk Award, 2021 NSF CAREER Award, 2021 Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) Early Career Award, 2020 Dean’s Award for Outstanding Engineering Teaching by an Assistant Professor, 2020 Teaching award from the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2018 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, and the 2016 Mazzucotelli Award from the Italian Chemical Society.

Educational Qualifications

• Ph.D., Materials Science, ETH Zurich, 2011
• MS Materials Engineering, Polytechnic University of Milan, Milan, Italy, 2006
• BS Materials Engineering, Polytechnic University of Milan, Milan, Italy, 2004

Select Awards & Honors

1. President’s Associates Graduate Teaching Excellence Award, The University of Texas at Austin (2025)
2. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Rising Star (2024)
3. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Burt L. Newkirk Award  (2022)
4. Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) Early Career Award (2021)
5. Dean’s Award for Outstanding Engineering Teaching by an Assistant Professor, The University of Texas at Austin (2020)
6. Teaching Award from the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin (2020)
7. Mazzucotelli Award, Italian Chemical Society (2016)
8. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (2016)
9. Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship (2012)
10. Postdoctoral Fellowship for Prospective Researchers by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) (2011)

Related Websites

Mangolini Group website

Select Publications

Google Scholar