PNNL

Kate Rader is a materials scientist in the Energy Process and Materials division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Her research focuses on applying sonic and ultrasonic processing during the solidification of metal alloys, with broader exploration of the effects of thermal and mechanical processes on metal alloys and the increased use of recycled aluminum for automotive applications.

Rader has held research positions at the Virginia Department of Transportation Research Council, the University of Texas at Austin, and General Motors. While at the University of Texas at Austin, she collaborated with General Motors to develop a novel forming process for high-strength aluminum alloys used in automotive manufacturing. Her work has been published in renowned journals, including Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Journal of Materials Science, and Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance.

Rader earned her doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Virginia. She is an active member of professional organizations, such as The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International.

Her contributions to the field have been recognized with several honors, including the 2022 Light Metals Subject Award for Aluminum Alloys. She is skilled in experimental research, metallography, and data visualization, among other technical areas.

• Casting
• Data visualization
• Experimental research
• Forming
• Mechanical testing
• Metallography
• Metallurgy
• Python
• Thermal processing
• X-ray diffraction

• PhD in Materials Science & Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
• BS in Civil Engineering, University of Virginia

• The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society
• ASM International

• Light Metals Subject Award - Aluminum Alloys, issued by The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, 2022
• Special Commendation for Outstanding Poster, issued by the TMS Bladesmithing Competition, 2019
• University Graduate Continuing Fellowship, issued by The University of Texas at Austin, 2019
• Doctoral Fellowship, issued by The University of Texas at Austin, Cockrell School of Engineering, 2016

• Katherine E. Rader, Adrian S. Sabau, and Aashish Rohatgi. 2023. “Microstructural refinement in ultrasonically modified A356 aluminum castings.” Journal of Materials Science, vol. 58, pp. 17340-17361, Dec. 2023. DOI: 10.1007/s10853-023-08999-y
• Katherine E. Rader, Jon T. Carter, et al. 2022. “Retrogression Forming and Reaging of an AA7075-T6 Alclad Sheet Material.” Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, vol. 31, pp. 5311-5323, Jul. 2022. DOI: 10.1007/s11665-022-06663-1
• Katherine E. Rader, Jon T. Carter, et al. 2021. “Plastic Deformation and Ductility of AA7075 and AA6013 at Warm Temperatures Suitable to Retrogression Forming.” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, vol. 52, pp. 4003-4017, Sep. 2021. DOI: 10.1007/s11661-021-06360-z
• Katherine E. Rader, Jon T. Carter, et al. 2021. “Retrogression and Reaging of AA7075 and AA6013 Aluminum Alloys.” Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, vol. 52, pp. 1006-1018, Mar. 2021. DOI: 10.1007/s11661-020-06133-0