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Taking Measure

Just a Standard Blog

Brian Lawn

Brian Lawn obtained his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Western Australia in 1964. He then studied as a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Physics at the University of Bristol and the Department of Engineering and Materials Science at Brown University. From 1968 to 1981, Brian was a professor in physics at the University of New South Wales. In 1981 he joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and in 1987 was appointed to the position of NIST Fellow. Brian has published over 340 research papers, with 50,000-plus citations. In 2001 Brian was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and in 2012 to the Australian Academy of Science. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in engineering in 2008 by his alma mater at the University of Western Australia. Brian is a Distinguished Life Member of the American Ceramic Society.

$Micrograph shows fractures appearing at junction of enamel and dentin.$

Teeth: From Materials Science to Dentistry and Evolutionary Biology

February 2, 2022

As a happily retired materials scientist from NIST, I have continued a long-standing interest in how materials deform and fracture under high stress. My

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