Brian R. Lawn

brian_lawn_photo
Materials Measurement Science Division - HQ
brian.lawn@nist.gov
(301) 975-5775

Employment

1987-present: NIST Fellow, National Institute of Standards and Technology
2004-: Adjunct Professor, University of Western Australia
2004: Gledden Visiting Senior Fellow, University of Western Australia
1999-: Adjunct Professor, Curtin University, Western Australia
1992: Visiting Professor, Curtin University, Western Australia
1991-1995: Adjunct Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
1987-1995: Adjunct Professor, Lehigh University
1982-1987: Physicist, National Institute of Standards and Technology
1979: Visiting Professor, University of California at Berkeley
1976-1981: Associate Professor, University of New South Wales
1975, 1979: Guest Scientist, National Bureau of Standards
1971, 1975: Visiting Lecturer, University of Sussex
1968-1975: Lecturer, University of New South Wales
1967: Postdoctoral Fellow, Brown University
1964-1966: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Bristol 

Education

Hon. Doc., Engineering, University of Western Australia, 2008
Ph.D., Physics, University of Western Australia, 1963
B.Sc. (Hons.), Physics, University of Western Australia, 1959

Research Interests

  • Characterization of damage and fracture in enamel and other biomineralized tissues. How microstructural complexion of tooth enamel dictates processess of damage resistance, via crack arrest and self-healing mechanisms
  • Development of biomimetic composites through understanding of damage tolerance mechanisms in natural structures
  • Analysis of replacement materials for all-ceramic dental crowns. Development of predictive 'virtual test' tools, whereby a dental practitioner can accurately predetermine an optimal restoration protocol from simple measurements of any given tooth condition
  • Anthropological implications of tooth structure in relation to diet, as inferred by tooth damage in extant and extinct species

[Lawn]_Figs

Figure 1(left): Fracture of glass 'dome' structure simulating failure of dental crown under simulated occlusal load; Figure 2(center): Fracture of extracted human molar tooth under analogous loading conditions; Figure 3(right): Transverse section of human tooth, showing internal closed cracks ('tufts') in enamel; the tufts are sources of weakness, but the complex microstructure constrains crack growth

 

Publications - Downloads

 

Awards and Honors

  • Honorary Doctorate in Engineering, University of Western Australia, 2008
  • Honorary Fellow, International Congress of Fracture, 2005
  • Honorary Professor, Jiatong Xi'an University, 2003
  • ISI Highly Cited Researcher, 2001
  • U.S. National Academy of Engineering, 2001
  • Ross Coffin Purdy Award, American Ceramic Society, 1999
  • Hobart M. Kraner Award, American Ceramic Society, 1991
  • Fellow, American Ceramic Society, 1986
  • Edward Uhler Condon Award, National Bureau of Standards, 1984
  • Sosman Award, American Ceramic Society, 1982

     

Current Collaborative Programs

Selected Publications

Predicting Failure in Mammalian Enamel

January 16, 2009
Author(s):
Brian R. Lawn, James J. Lee, Paul Constantino, Peter Lucas
Dentition is a vital element of human and animal function, yet there is little fundamental knowledge about how tooth enamel endures under stringent oral...