Rate My Professor Benjamin Church

Benjamin Church is an Associate Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department and Director of the Advanced Analysis Facility at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Holding a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (2004), an M.S. from the same institution (2002), and a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Michigan Technological University (1997), Dr. Church brings extensive industry and academic experience to his role. Early in his career, he served as a materials engineer at Honda R&D in Raymond, Ohio, from 1997 to 1999. After completing his graduate studies and a postdoctoral position at Georgia Tech under Thomas Sanders, Jr., and Ken Sandhage, he worked as a technical advisor in the metallurgical laboratory at Modine Manufacturing in Racine, Wisconsin, from 2006 to 2009. He joined the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2009 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2015.

Dr. Church's research interests encompass high-temperature materials for petrochemical processing and power generation, novel processing techniques for metals, ceramics, and composites, physical metallurgy, brazing, thermal analysis of materials, processing-structure-property relationships, electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. His work addresses practical challenges in energy efficiency and manufacturing, including projects on welding and brazing, alloys for petrochemical applications, and materials for lithium-ion and lead-acid battery systems. Key publications include “Performance of Alumina-Forming Alloys under Coking–Decoking Cycles” by Ortiz, Yang, and Church (Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2020); “Development of Novel Alloys for Use in Ethylene Cracking Furnaces” by Muralidharan et al. (AIChE, 2020); and “Effects of Sulfate and Nitrate Anions on Aluminum Corrosion in Slightly Alkaline Solution” by Li and Church (Applied Surface Science, 2018). He has co-authored numerous papers on corrosion, battery materials, and solar cells.

Recognized for his excellence in teaching and mentorship, Dr. Church received the College of Engineering & Applied Science “Excellence in Teaching” award in 2012, the ASM-Milwaukee Hall of Fame Award in 2016, and the ASM-International Milwaukee Chapter Service Award in 2013. He has been nominated multiple times for UWM’s Mentor of the Year and co-received the Technology Licensing Award in 2014. As faculty advisor for the UWM Chapter of Material Advantage, he has mentored students to national recognitions, including at the Foundry Educational Foundation conference. Dr. Church serves on the executive board of ASM-Milwaukee since 2008, currently as treasurer, and has led numerous outreach programs, such as ASM Materials Camps from 2010 to 2015. He was a co-principal investigator on a $1.5 million Department of Energy grant for the Industrial Assessment Center in 2011.