Robert W. Messler, Jr.
Professor
Contact & Personal Information
Phone: (518) 276-3778
Email: messlr@rpi.edu 
Mailing Address:
Materials Research Center
rm: 106
110 8th Street
Troy, New York
12180
Education
Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Physical Metallurgy
B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Metallurgical Engineering
Professional Background
Professor Messler received his Ph.D. in physical metallurgy in 1971 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After 16 years in industry, 11 at Grumman Aerospace and 5 at Eutectic-Castolin, he returned to Rensselaer in 1984 to serve for 7 years a Technical Director and Associate Director of the Center for Manufacturing Productivity. He joined the faculty in 1991 as Associate Professor and Director of the Materials Joining Laboratory, was tenured in 1997, promoted to Professor in 1999, and appointed as Associate Dean for Academic & Student Affairs for the School from 1999-2004. Professor Messler has authored 4 technical books in welding and joining, and over 140 papers in diverse areas of materials processing, joining, design, manufacturing, and engineering education.
Dr. Messler teaches materials and processes selection and application of materials within design, multidisciplinary courses in welding and joining, principles of failure analysis, and materials science for engineers; for which he has received numerous departmental, School, Institute, and national awards.
Research
Materials Processing
Microstructures
Metallurgy
Research Bio
Development and characterization of environmentally friendly Pb-free solders, including thermo-mechanical fatigue; laser-based soldering; hybrid welding and adhesive bonding, i.e., weld-bonding; joining of dissimilar combinations of metals, ceramics, and inter-metallics using exothermic chemical reactions (e.g., combustion synthesis) under pressure
Awards
- Professor Messler is a fellow of ASM International (1994) and the American Welding Society (AWS) (1996).
- He has received the AWS Award for Outstanding Teaching (1993), the SAE’s Ralph R. Teetor Award Educational Award (1994), the Darren Award for Outstanding Advising (1994), the Rensselaer Alumni Assocation’s Teaching Award (1996), the Louis C. Ianniello Prize for Outstanding Teaching in Materials Science & Engineering (1998), and the School of Engineering’s Educational Excellence Award in 2005.
- He received A.F. Davis Silver Medal for Design from the AWS (1985) and numerous awards for best paper.
Publications
- EB Welding on the F14: The Greatest Story Never Told! (2007)
Type: Article
Topic: Materials Processing - Integral Mechanical Attachment: A Resurgence of the Oldest Method of Joining (2006)
Type: Book
Topic: Materials Processing
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Related Websites:
- Materials Research Society
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Contact Us
Marcia Hartnett, Administrative Assistant
Phone: (518) 276-6941
Email: hartnm2@rpi.edu
Mailing Address:
Jonsson Engineering Center
rm: 4049
110 8th Street
Troy, New York
12180