ALEXANDER KING
Materials Engineering, Purdue University

Bio
Dr. King is the director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory Director at Iowa State University. Prior to becoming Ames Laboratory director, King served as professor and head of the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University, a position he'd held since 1999. Prior to that, he was a member of the faculty of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, from 1981 to 1999.  King also served as Vice Provost for Graduate Studies at Stony Brook from 1987 to 1992. King received a bachelor's degree (1975) in physical metallurgy from the University of Sheffield, England, and a doctorate in metallurgy and the science of materials from the University of Oxford in 1979.  In 2007, King was a distinguished lecturer in materials science and engineering at ISU. King is an editor of four books and has published 108 journal articles and 145 refereed conference proceedings, book chapters, extended abstracts, book reviews and other short contributions.  He has given more than 100 presentations at conferences, symposia and colloquia around the world.  King's professional service includes membership on numerous committees for national and international symposia and committees.

State Department Profile
Dr. King worked with the Bureau of African Affairs, where he took on the role of science advisor for the Bureau.  He strived to encourage the development of science and technology expertise in sub-Saharan Africa as a means to facilitate economic development, contributing on subjects as diverse as the tracking of conflict diamonds, tracking illicit mineral ore trading, remediation of “exploding lakes,” intellectual property issues, and the development of geothermal energy in the African Rift Valley.