Dean T. Pierce

Dr. Dean Pierce is a senior scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the Alloy Behavior and Design (AB&D) Group. Prior to joining ORNL, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center (ASPPRC) at the Colorado School of Mines (2014–2016), earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Vanderbilt University (2014), and worked as a Senior Engineer at General Dynamics Electric Boat (2002–2009).

Dr. Pierce’s expertise includes alloy and process design for wrought and additively manufactured steels and iridium-based alloys; development of thermomechanical processing routes to tailor microstructure and performance; and solid-state joining of dissimilar steels. His work focuses on co-optimizing properties such as strength, oxidation/corrosion resistance, thermal transport, and wear to enable improved performance in harsh service environments. He has been recognized for his steel development efforts with a