My group builds laser nanomanufacturing methods and autonomous discovery machines to rapidly design tough, lightweight, and multifunctional materials. A second thrust explores neurons and materials—how nanoscale, laser‑made architectures and electric fields influence axons, with a focus on neuro‑mechanics and neuroprotection. Across all thrusts we couple high‑throughput experimentation with active learning to discover synthesizable, processable materials in unexplored chemical and structural spaces. Let me know if you have any questions at [email protected]. Click for my Google Scholar.
Pillar 1 — Laser Nanomanufacturing & Voxel‑Level Control
Laser powder bed fusion / selective laser melting (SLM) for metals & ceramics with HT (high‑throughput) process/structure mapping and ML‑guided control.
Laser‑assisted structure/texture control in alumina, stabilized zirconia, and lead‑free piezoceramics (reliability & functionality).
Field‑assisted AM and tip‑enhanced spectroscopy to connect local photochemistry/voxel kinetics to macroscale properties.
Targets: narrow linewidths, hierarchical toughening, and predictable mechanics.
Pillar 2 — Neurons × Materials (Neural Interfaces, Axon Mechanics, Neuro‑inspired Design)
Mechanobiologically optimized micro‑/meso‑architectures to steer axonal growth and local stresses.
Platforms for axon‑level readouts (e.g., microchannels, force‑sensing pins, and electric‑field stimuli) and HT imaging/analysis.
Materials strategies for axon integrity and neuroprotection; data‑driven design of microenvironments.
Pillar 3 — Self‑Driving Labs for Materials
Automatic discovery machines for ultrasonic mixing, nano‑liter deposition, robotic sample prep; integrated with active learning.
Closed‑loop exploration of processing‑structure‑property‑design (PSP‑D) relationships in polymer/ceramic/metal composites.
Reliability‑aware ML (extreme‑value statistics + learned Monte Carlo) for devices and materials.
Some of our past research projects are:
*. Processing discovery: Machine learning-enhanced high throughput (HT) structure control in selective laser melted titaniums, zirconias, BZT-BCT lead-free piezeocereamics, and quantum dot containing thermosets.
*. Structure discovery: HT characterization of nanoscale hierarchical toughening in quantum dot containing polymer and ceramic composites
*. Data-driven recycling planning for smart cities: How to change materials, manufacturing policies to drive sustainable socio-economic development?
*. Mechanics of additively manufactured bioinspired composites and polymers
*. Automatic discovery machines for ultrasonic mixing, nano-liter droplet deposition, and robotic sample preparation coupled with field-assisted additive manufacturing
*. Hierarchical toughening in thermosetting structural battery composites
*. Hierarchical toughening in selective laser melted (SLMed) mechanobiologically optimized metal scaffolds
*. Effects of texture on the mechanical reliability of alumina, stabilized zirconia, and lead-free piezoceramics
*. Shape memory ductile ceramics: HT-Synthesis approaches for single crystal zirconia template particles for reactive templated grain growth (RTGG)
*. Extreme value statistics vs. machine-learned Monte Carlo predictions in systems/device/material reliability
*. Electric field effects on stress distributions in high electron mobility transistors (HEMT)
*. Thin film materials, manufacturing for stochastic computing, random telegraph noise (RTN) devices, and resistive memories.
*. Virtual reality engineering education (VR-EE), Virtual learning environments for engineers and society
*. Atlas of Materials Complexity, accelerating multi-functional design, materials, manufacturing innovation
Grants and contracts: Total funding awarded $2,260,000 (56% as a PI)
16. NSF ACCESS, Mechanics of quantum dot nanocomposites: A molecular dynamics study, 400,000 ACCESS credits for computing resources, PI: O. Keles, 11/2023.
15. National Science Foundation, Division Of Materials Research, Major Research Instrumentation Program, Equipment: MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscope for Research and Education at San Jose State University, $550,000, PI: D. Oh, co-PIs: O. Keles, A. Wolcott, and C.L. Smallwood, 8/2023, Award #2320841.
14. San Jose State University, Central Research Award, Automatic discovery of optically transparent materials using additive manufacturing and machine learning, $7,500, PI: O. Keles, 4/2022.
13. National Science Foundation, Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation, Mechanics of Materials and Structures Program, CAREER: Multi-scale mechanical behavior of quantum dot nanocomposites: Towards data-driven automatic discovery of high-performance structures, $599,293, PI: O. Keles, 3/2022, Award #2145604.
12. National Endowment for the Arts, Exploring and Supporting San José’s Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Art through 3D Printing Technology, $20,000, PI: Yoon Chung-Han, co-PI O. Keles, 4/2022.
11. San Jose State University, College of Engineering, Kordestani Endowed Chair Position, Manufacturing Silicon Valley: A combined additive manufacturing and engineering education research, $125,405, PI: O. Keles, 2021-23. Working on College of Engineering Advanced Manufacturing efforts by writing new manufacturing proposals and managing my metal additive manufacturing, ceramic, and composite processing laboratories.
10. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Scalable Ceramic ALignment for Electro-active Structures (SCALES), $500,000, PI: E. Karatay (Palo Alto Research Center–PARC Xerox), Subcontractor: O. Keles, $75,000, 2020. I provided the idea for this proposal and initiated the collaboration. We use Bayesian active learning to control die casting process parameters and enhance pieozoelectric properties.
9. San Jose State University, Central Research Award, Defect-based hierarchical toughening mechanisms in selective laser melted metals, $7,045, PI: O. Keles, 2021.
8. National Science Foundation, Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation, Major Research Instrumentation Program, MRI: Acquisition of a metal additive manufacturing system for multi-disciplinary research and education at a minority-serving institution, $326,960, PI: O. Keles, co-PIs: B. Sirkeci, F. Amirkulova, R. Yee, and D. Yan, 2019, Award #1920363.
7. San Jose State University, Central Research Award, Machine learned prediction of structure-property relationships in 3D printed composites, $7,500, PI: O. Keles, 2019.
6. San Jose State University, College of Engineering, Kordestani Endowed Chair Position, Mechanics of bulk shape memory ceramics, $39,999, PI: O. Keles, 2018.
5. San Jose State University, Central Research Award, Mechanical reliability of additively manufactured polymer composites, $4,998, PI: O. Keles, 2017.
4. San Jose State University, College of Engineering, Kordestani Endowed Chair Position,
Reliability in additively manufactured materials and textured ceramics, $39,509, PI: O. Keles, 2016.
3. San Jose State University, College of Engineering, Faculty Mini Grant, Effect of porosity on mechanical reliability of fused deposition modeled ABS, $9,990, PI: O. Keles, 2015.
2. Total of 9 undergraduate research grants, San Jose State University, College of Engineering, $13,500, PI: O. Keles, 2015-2022.
1. Total of seven travel grants, San Jose State University, College of Engineering, $12,000, PI: O. Keles, 2015-2023.
