Jeffery C. Gibeling serves as interim vice chancellor for research at the University of California, Davis. He is also a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, where he was the chair from 2016–20. In 2021 he served as interim dean of the College of Engineering.
From 2002–16, Gibeling served as vice provost of graduate education and dean of graduate studies at UC Davis, where he was responsible for the administration of over 90 graduate degree programs. In this role, he provided national and international leadership for graduate education issues. Under Gibeling’s guidance, the Office of Graduate Studies developed a comprehensive professional development program called the GradPathways Institute to ensure that graduate students complete their degrees and are prepared for successful careers. He also devoted significant attention to the needs of postdoctoral scholars and established an award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Research. From 1999–2002 he served as chair of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate where he led faculty efforts in shared governance of the campus.
Gibeling began his career at UC Davis in 1984 as an assistant professor of materials science and engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in materials science and engineering, all from Stanford University. He is a fellow of ASM International (formerly the American Society for Metals) and received the Oleg D. Sherby Award from the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society for his work on elevated temperature deformation of materials.
Gibeling’s teaching and research interests are in the area of mechanical behavior of materials, including the study of fundamental deformation mechanisms, high temperature creep deformation, fracture and fatigue. He explores these phenomena in a wide variety of materials, including additively manufactured metals, metal matrix composites, layered materials and cortical bone. He is nationally and internationally recognized for developing new techniques for high-precision measurements of the mechanical response of materials to applied stresses to better understand the fundamental atomic-level processes controlling deformation. His research has been funded through awards from the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Sandia National Laboratories, and Aerojet General.