Joshua Adkins, PhD
Materials Engineering
Bridge to Faculty Postdoctoral Research Associate
Pronouns: he/him
About
Joshua Adkins is a Bridge to Faculty postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He received his B.S. in Chemistry (A.C.S.-certified) from Xavier University in Louisiana in 2018, and completed his PhD in Materials Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago in 2024. His research interests involve the design and investigation of morphologically engineered fluorite- and wurtzite-based ferroelectric complex oxides. By modifying the atomic structure of these inorganic materials in thin film form using avenues such as strain and composition, Joshua’s research aims to understand and control the properties of old and new ferroelectrics to enhance their properties and expand their applications in areas of nanoelectronics and energy production.
He also supports efforts to recruit, retain and nurture racially underrepresented college students through work that develops students’ engineering identities, and through the development of pre-college curricula and programming for incoming engineering freshmen. More broadly, Joshua aims to prepare future generations of critically conscious scientists and engineers to contribute to the construction of a more just and humane society.