Iowa State University Professor Valery Levitas and Dr. Krishan K. Pandey presented 2 talks on Monday, September 30, 2019 at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. 

Professor Levitas is a mechanical engineer who has developed a strong multidisciplinary research program at the intersection of advanced mechanics, physics, material science, chemistry, and applied mathematics and collaborates with the leading researchers over the world in these fields. He is considered a founder of the theoretical high-pressure mechanochemistry.

Professor Levitas is an Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering, Vance Coffman Faculty Chair Professor, and holds positions in the Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering departments at Iowa State University and Ames Laboratory.

During the visit, Professor Levitas and Dr. Pandey presented engaging talks pertaining to theoretical and experimental efforts focused on understanding material behavior at high pressure-shear conditions, with particular focus on understanding phase transformations and plastic deformation under extreme compressive and shear stresses.