Professor Levi joined the faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1984. He holds a joint appointment between the Materials Department, where he was Associate Chair (1992-2003), and the Department of Mechanical Engineeering. He oversees the Structural Materials Processing Laboratory and is a participant in the Center for Multifunctional Materials and Structures, the Institute for Energy Efficiency, and the NSF-sponsored International Center for Materials Research at UCSB. The ovearching theme of his research is understanding the microstructure of materials and its evolution during processing and service, with emphasis on structural and functional inorganic materials. His expertise in materials processing includes physical vapor deposition, powder processing and solidification technologies, fabrication processes for inorganic composites, and synthesis of inorganics from precursors. His research is currently funded by NSF, ONR, DOE and AFOSR. He has published over 140 articles on his research, and has been recognized for specific contributions to the literature with the 1983 Howe Medal and the 1989 Grossmann Award, both from ASM International, a 1990 Significant Contribution Award of the MST Division of the American Nuclear Society, and a 2004 DLR Wissenschaftspreis from the German Aerospace Agency. He was honored for his career contributions to Materials Science with the 2002 Alexander von Humboldt Forschungspreis (Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists from the AVH Foundation, Germany). Most recently, he has been selected (with A.G. Evans and D.R. Clarke) to receive the 2008 NIMS Award for Recent Breakthroughs in Materials Science for Energy and Environment.

Professor Levi is a member of the The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS), where he has served in the Board of Directors and the leadership of the Materials Processing and Manufacturing Division, as well as numerous technical and administrative committees. He is also a member of the American Ceramic Society and ASM International, a member of the Editorial Board of Materials Science and Engineering, and previously served in the Board of Review of Metallurgical and Materials Transactions.