Dr. John Berger is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines and a Principal Investigator in the Chemo-Mechanical Research Group. His research focuses on the mechanical behavior and fracture of materials, with contributions spanning dynamic crack growth, anisotropic solids, functionally graded materials, and chemo-elastic mechanics in electrochemical energy systems, including lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. He also leads strategic initiatives in energy and materials at Mines.

Interests

• Electrochemical stresses in Li-ion batteries and solid-state transport membranes
• Homogenization methods for heterogeneous materials
• Fracture mechanics and damage modeling
• Green’s functions and boundary element methods (BEM)
• Mechanics of anisotropic and microstructured materials

”The exam is long — but tedious!”

”In fracture mechanics, the first question is always: Why did it break?”

”A component will always fail by the most energetically favorable pathway — whether or not we’ve studied that pathway.”

”When the subject gets complicated, it’s about walking the fine line of demonstrating expertise without losing your audience.”