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Anthony G. Evans 1942 - 2009

We are extremely saddened to share with you the news that Professor Anthony Evans passed away Wednesday morning, Sept. 9, 2009, at home with his family. Professor Evans was a renowned researcher and scientist, a dedicated teacher and mentor, and a beloved campus colleague. He made enormous contributions to our university and to the world community. Dr. Evans joined our faculty in 1985 and served as the founding chair of our top-ranked Department of Materials. He was our Alcoa Professor of Materials, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Director of our Center for Multifunctional Materials and Structures, and past Director of our High Performance Composites Center. An expert on the properties and behavior of advanced structural materials, Professor Evans pioneered a new understanding of the structure of ceramic-matrix composites and the mechanics of toughening brittle materials. He was one of the most highly cited authors in his field, with more than 540 publications to his name. He served as vice president of the American Ceramic Society, and as chair of the Defense Sciences Research Council. He received numerous honors throughout his career for his achievements and public service, including the 2005 ASM International Gold Medal, the 2003 ASME Nadai Medal, and the 2002 Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of London, and the Royal Academy of Engineering of London. Tony's brilliance, enthusiasm, and unquenchable intellectual curiosity were an inspiration to us all. His contribution to establishing the culture of collegiality and interdisciplinary research that is a hallmark of UCSB cannot be overemphasized. We feel deeply privileged to have known him as our colleague and friend.

Sincerely, Henry T. Yang Chancellor

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His group conducts research efforts in the areas of thermomechanical performance of structural materials used in aerospace and automotive applications, design and durability models, multilayers, ultralight structures, cell mechanics, and thin films.

Evans' research has embraced a range of fundamental and engineering issues related to the fabrication and performance of materials for advanced thermo-structural systems. Much of the research has been in collaboration with colleagues in solid mechanics and is centered in the mechanics of materials area. It involves combinations of experiment and modeling to tackle problems related to the use of advanced materials in load bearing applications. The current research projects focus on thermal barrier coatings (TBCs), blast and fragmentation protection of ships, and structures and materials for hypersonic applications in a naval environment.

Further information on the research projects as well as a complete directory of the group's members is available on the following pages. A list of the most recent publications and links to our collaborators is online for your convenience.