He received a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Oxford University in 1983. He then spent 10 years at AT&T Laboratories in the Physics Research Division. He next joined the faculty of the MSE Department at the University of Virginia, where he was the Charles Henderson Professor of Engineering, director of the NSF-MRSEC Center on “Nanoscopic Materials Design,” and director of the university’s Institute for Nanoscale and Quantum Engineering, Science and Technology. He has published about 250 journal and conference papers, and given about 300 invited talks and seminars at international conferences, universities, and government and industrial laboratories.  His current research at Rensselaer focuses upon new techniques for nanoscale assembly, fabrication, and characterization using focused ion and electron beams for electronic, electrochemical, energy, and structural materials. He is a member of multiple editorial and advisory boards. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Materials Research Society. He has served as president of the Materials Research Society, and is a past chair of the University Materials Council.