Bio
Michael Thompson is a Technical Professional in the Alloy Behavior and Design group within the Materials Science and Technology Division at ORNL. He began his time at ORNL in 2023 after working as a Research Associate at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville while finishing his master's degree in Materials Science and Engineering.
Professional Experience
Michael began as a Community College Internship (CCI) student in 2017 studying the effects of minor Ce additions on commercial casting Al alloys. He completed multiple other internships including SULI and HERE programs through the Summer of 2020 during which time he performed microstructural, mechanical and chemical characterization of experimental Al-Ce based alloys as well as many commercial alloys with Ce additions. He has experience characterizing these alloys before and after several processing conditions such as various casting methods, powder-consolidated and traditional extrusion, and additive manufacturing. He then took a Research Associate position at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville working primarily to further develop the Al-Ce based alloy system and investigate the corrosion performance of commercial Al alloys with Ce additions. He joined ORNL in 2023 focusing on thermomagnetic processing (TMP) of Al alloys and steels.
Awards
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
- Volunteer in Distinction 2023
- Distinguished Undergraduate Research Award 2020
- NSF funded TranSCEnD Scholarship 2018-2021
Cleveland State Community College
- Outstanding Astronomy Student Award 2017
Education
MS - Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, 2023
BS - Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, 2020
AS - Physics TTP, Cleveland State Community College, 2017
Professional Affiliations
MRS member
TMS member
Specialized Equipment
Amazemet ultrasonic atomizer
Nikon SLM125 3D printer
Arcast 200 arc melter and gas atomizer
Publications
Other Publications
- R. K. Bollineni, M. J. Thompson, M. E. Hurley, V. M. Miller, M. R. Tonks, L. Li, R. Mirzaeifar, M. S. Kesler, "Effects of magnetic field assisted heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe-0.63% C alloy." Materials Science and Engineering: A 950, (2026) DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2025.149493
- J. Jun, S. Nam, Y.F. Su, M. J. Thompson, R. T. Ott, D. Weiss, M. S. Kesler, "Corrosion Analysis of Al-Ce-Ni and Al-Cu-Ce Cast Alloys in Dilute Boric Acid at Room and Elevated Temperatures." Materials Today Communications, (2025) DOI: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2025.114368
- M. Kesler, M. Thompson, Mm Neveau, A. Sabau, W. Ge, J. Jones “Attempting to Develop the World’s Most Cost-Effective Metal 3D Printing Technology Through Industrial Adoption of a High-Temperature Electro-Magnetic Nozzle for 3D Printing and Computer Numerical Control Integration”, ORNL/TM-2025/4255, (2025) DOI: 10.2172/3002038
- J. Brechtl, M. J. Thompson, et al., “Corrosion Resistance of an AlCeMg/Stainless-Steel Reactive Bond”, Light Metals 2025, (2025) DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-80676-6_52
- M. S. Kesler, M. J. Thompson, D. Weiss, M. V. Manuel, “Simultaneously Improving Process Efficiency and Mechanical Properties in Aluminum Alloys with Applied Magnetic Fields”, Light Metals 2025, (2025) DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-80676-6_32
- M. Neveau, W. R. Meier, H. Park, M. J. Thompson, N. Bibhanshu, C. Böcher, T. Fishman, D. Weiss, M. F. Chisholm, O. Rios, G. Duscher, “Secondary Phase Increases the Elastic Modulus of a Cast Aluminum-Cerium Alloy”, Communications Materials, (2024) DOI: 10.1038/s43246-024-00611-3.
- K. Li, M. S. Kesler, M. A. McGuire, M. Zhang, T. Aytug, H. Jiang, D. S. Sholl, E. Lara-Curzio, M. J. Thompson, Y. Li, Z. P. Tener, K. Nawaz, “Magnetic Nanoparticle-Induced Sorbent Regeneration for Direct Air Capture”, AlChE Journal, (2024) DOI: 10.1002/aic.18500
- M. Kesler, M. Thompson, M. Neveau, O. Rios, “Prototyping and Manufacturing of Magnetic Gearbox Components using Innovations in Castings”, ORNL/TM-2023/3051, (2024), DOI: 10.2172/2320384
- D. G. Kizzire, A. D. Greenhalgh, M. L. Neveau, C. M. Pekol, M. J. Thompson, O. Rios, D. J. Keffer, “Modified Embedded Atom Method Interatomic Potential for FCC γ-Cerium”, Computational Materials Science, 230, article # 112454, pp. 1-9. (2023) DOI: 10.1016/j.commatsci.2023.112454.
- R. Emery, O. R. Rios, M. J. Thompson, D. Weiss, P. D. Rack, “Thin film combinatorial sputtering of Al-Ce alloys: Investigating the phase separation of as-deposited solid solutions and determining the coefficient of thermal expansion”, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, (2022) DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2022.165271
- Z. C. Sims, H. B. Henderson, M. J. Thompson, R. P. Chaudhary, J. A. Hammons, J. Ilavsky, D. Weiss, K. Anderson, R. Ott, O. Rios, “Application of Ce for Scavenging Cu in A356 Al alloys”, European Journal of Materials, (2022) DOI: 10.1080/26889277.2021.1974801
- M. Vázquez, O. M. Suárez, M. Thompson, H. Jang, N. Gong, D. Weiss, and O. Rios, “Effect of Ce Content on Properties of Al-Ce-Based Composites by Powder-in-Tube Method”, Journal of Composites Science, vol. 5, no. 10, p. 255, (2021) DOI: 10.3390/jcs5100255
- J. Brechtl, Y. Li, K. Li, L. Kearney, K. Nawaz, A. Flores-Betancourt, M. Thompson, O. Rios, and A. M. Momen, “Structural, Thermal, and Mechanical Characterization of a Thermally Conductive Polymer Composite for Heat Exchanger Applications”, Polymers, vol. 13, no. 12, p. 1970, (2021) DOI: 10.3390/polym13121970
- H. B. Henderson, J. A. Hammons, A. A. Baker, S. K. McCall, T. T. Li, A. Perron, Z. C. Sims, R. T. Ott, F. Meng, M. J. Thompson, D. Weiss, O. Rios, “Enhanced thermal coarsening resistance in a nanostructured aluminum-cerium alloy produced by additive manufacturing”, Materials & Design, vol 209, (2021) DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2021.109988
- A. A. Martin, J. A. Hammons, H. B. Henderson, N. P. Calta, M. H. Nielsen, C. C. Cook, J. Ye, A. A. Maich, N. E. Teslich, T. T. Li, M. J. Thompson, M. Besser, M. J. Matthews, R. T. Ott, O. Rios, S. K. McCall, T. M. Willey, J. R. I. Lee, “Enhanced Mechanical Performance via Laser Induced Nanostructure Formation in Additively Manufactured Lightweight Aluminum Alloy”, Applied Materials Today, (2021) DOI: 10.1016/j.apmt.2021.100972
- D. Weiss, B. Murphy, M. J. Thompson, H. B. Henderson, O. Rios, G. M. Ludtka, A. Perron, M. S. Kesler, “Thermomagnetic Processing of Aluminum Alloys During Heat Treatment”, International Journal of Metalcasting, (2020) DOI: 10.1007/s40962-020-00460-z
- H. B. Henderson, D. Weiss, Z. C. Sims, M. J. Thompson, E. E. Moore, A. Perron, F. Meng, R. T. Ott, O. Rios, “Ternary Interactions and Implications for Third Element Alloying Potency in Al-Ce-Based Alloys”, Light Metals 2020, (2020) DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-36408-3_32
- Z. C. Sims, D. Weiss, O. Rios, H. B. Henderson, M. S. Kesler, S. K. McCall, M. J. Thompson, A. Perron, E. E. Moore, “The Efficacy of Replacing Metallic Cerium in Aluminum-Cerium Alloys with LREE Mischmetal”, Light Metals 2020, (2020) DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-36408-3_30
- H. B. Henderson, E. T. Stromme, M. S. Kesler, Z. C. Sims, P. Chesser, B. Richardson, M. J. Thompson, L. Love, W. Peter, E. Morris, O. Rios, D. Weiss, “Additively Manufactured Single Use Molds and Reusable Patterns for Automotive and Hydroelectric Components”, International Journal of Metalcasting, (2019) DOI: 10.1007/s40962-019-00379-0