Dr. Marat Khafizov is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The Ohio State University. Before that he was a research scientist at Idaho National Laboratory. He holds a Ph. D. degree in Physics form University of Rochester. His research interests are in understanding microstructure evolution under irradiation and its impact on physical properties of solid materials. Recent efforts include understanding defect evolution, impact of defects on thermal conductivity, and retention of inert fission gas atoms for nuclear fuel performance evaluation, as well as development of optical tools for characterization of material’s properties and behavior of piezoelectric materials in radiation environments.