8/12/2026 Lauren Laws
Materials Science and Engineering Professor Pascal Bellon will be the Interim Director of the Materials Research Laboratory. He will replace outgoing director Paul Braun, who was named the next Head of MatSE.
Written by Lauren Laws
The Grainger College of Engineering announced Wednesday that Professor Pascal Bellon will be the Interim Director of the Materials Research Laboratory as the college conducts an internal selection process for the next director later this semester.
Bellon, the Donald W. Hamer Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has previously served in leadership positions for both the university and Grainger Engineering, including membership on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Campus Research Board from 2016 to 2019 and service as Interim Head of MatSE during the 2019 calendar year. Other accolades include contributing to a wide range of synergistic research and professional activities, including co-organizing several symposia and serving as Director of the Scientific Committee of EMIR, an international multi-beam irradiation platform that brings together six facilities in France.
“Pascal has strong research collaborations across campus and holds affiliate status with MRL. He has been a dedicated citizen of both MatSE and MRL, contributing meaningfully to the success and vitality of both communities,” said Rashid Bashir, Dean of The Grainger College of Engineering. “I am confident that he will provide steady leadership and continuity for MRL during this transition and as we work to complete the internal selection process as efficiently as possible.”
In his announcement, Dean Bashir said there was an “overwhelming strong response” from faculty for both applications and nominations for the directorship. He expects the process to be completed in the early part of the fall semester.
Bellon will replace current MRL Director Paul Braun, who will assume the role of Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Both appointments will go into effect on August 16.
Pascal Bellon is an Illinois Grainger Engineering professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He is affiliated with the Materials Research Laboratory. Bellon holds the Donald W. Hamer Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering appointment.
Paul Braun is an Illinois Grainger Engineering professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He is affiliated with the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. Braun is director of the Materials Research Laboratory and holds the Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering appointment.
Rashid Bashir is the Dean of The Grainger College of Engineering and is a professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the Materials Research Laboratory and the University of Illinois Holonyak Micro + Nanotechnology Laboratory. Bashir holds the Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering.