Dr. Hemrick is the group leader of the Ceramics and Ceramic Composites (CCC) Group in the Materials Sciences and Technology Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He received his Ph.D (2001) and Bachelor’s degree (1997) in Ceramic Engineering from the University of Missouri – Rolla and a Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Georgia Tech (1999). He has spent over 15 years at ORNL as a post-doctoral fellow and staff member and also spent 5 years in industry as a research engineer and the technical director of a refractory ceramics company. His research focuses on design, production, and characterization of refractory ceramic materials; as well as the sintering and processing of ceramic and other powder materials.