Mark Hamilton

Research Interests

Physical acoustics, particularly nonlinear acoustics, often with biomedical applications. Current areas of research include nonlinear shear wave beams in tissue, acoustic radiation pressure and levitation, nonlinear acoustic vortex beams, and strongly focused nonlinear surface acoustic waves with shocks in anisotropic solids.

Bio

After attending junior and senior high school in Brussels, Belgium, Dr. Hamilton attended Columbia University where he earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering, followed by his M.S. and Ph.D. in Acoustics at Penn State. The Acoustical Society of America then awarded him its F. V. Hunt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to work for one year in the Department of Mathematics at University of Bergen in Norway, after which he accepted a one-year postdoctoral fellowship with the Applied Research Laboratories at UT Austin funded by the Office of Naval Research. In Fall 1985 he became a faculty member in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is also Research Professor at Applied Research Laboratories, the largest organized research unit at UT Austin, and the core technical area of which is acoustics.

Dr. Hamilton’s home professional society is the Acoustical Society of America, for which he served as Vice President and President following three years on its Executive Council, and he continues to serve as Associate Editor in the areas of physical and nonlinear acoustics. He also served on the Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics for six years. He has served continuously as Secretary General for the International Symposia on Nonlinear Acoustics since 2005, and his responsibility involves holding the Symposium typically every three years and rotating its location between North America, Europe, and Asia. Following six years on the Governing Board of the International Commission for Acoustics, which functions as a United Nations for more than 50 acoustical societies around the world, in 2025 he completed a two-year term as its President and Past President.

Educational Qualifications

• Ph.D., Graduate Program in Acoustics, Pennsylvania State University, 1983
• M.S., Graduate Program in Acoustics, Pennsylvania State University, 1981
• B.S., Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, 1978

Select Awards & Honors

1. Gold Medal, “For contributions to theoretical nonlinear acoustics, education, and for service to and leadership of the society,” Acoustical Society of America (2023)
2. Student Council David T. Blackstock Mentorship Award, for “outstanding mentorship of students pursuing careers in acoustics,” Acoustical Society of America (2023)
3. Helmholtz-Rayleigh Interdisciplinary Silver Medal, “For contributions to nonlinear acoustics and biomedical ultrasound,” Acoustical Society of America (2014)
4. Curtis W. McGraw Research Award, American Society for Engineering Education (1991)
5. Elected Fellow, Acoustical Society of America (1990)
6. R. Bruce Lindsay Award (under 35 years of age), Acoustical Society of America (1989)
7. Fellowship in Science and Engineering, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation (1988)
8. Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1988)
9. Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation (1986)
10. F. V. Hunt Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Acoustical Society of America (1983)

Related Websites

Texas Acoustics
Nonlinear Acoustics (Open Access), graduate textbook and research monograph

Select Publications

Google Scholar