This award was established by the late Reldon Cooper, co-founder of Du-Co Ceramics, and is awarded to a young professional member of ACerS who demonstrates exceptional leadership and service to ACerS. This year’s award winner is Tessa Davey.
Tessa Davey is the UKAEA Reader in Nuclear Materials at the Nuclear Futures Institute at Bangor University in Wales, UK. Following two master’s degrees in physics (one experimental, one theoretical), she received her PhD from the Department of Materials at Imperial College London in 2017. Following this, she became faculty at Tohoku University in Japan, where she remained until 2023, and continues to hold a visiting professorship.
The goal of her research is to use a multi-scale simulation approach to discover and develop new materials that will be used in the most extreme conditions. She has previously worked extensively with ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs), nickel-base superalloys, and advanced alloys for nuclear fuels. Her recent work with UHTCs was recognized by the ACerS International Journal of Ceramic Engineering and Science with their 2023 Best Paper Award, as well through 23 invited presentations at conferences, workshops, and universities. Tessa has organized or co-organized 8 symposia at international conferences on technical and professional development topics.
Tessa has been an active contributor to the ACerS community since she became a delegate of the President’s Council of Student Advisors (PCSA) in 2014. She went on to become the first international PCSA Council Chair and was recognized for her leadership in encouraging diversity and inclusion with the ACerS Global Ambassador Award in 2017. Tessa continues to serve as a mentor for the PCSA, and other students through the ACerS Mentor Program. Over the years, Tessa has served on 13 ACerS committees, currently focusing on her work as Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Subcommittee, the Secretary of the Japan Chapter, and a member of the Engineering Ceramics Division International Committee.