Dr. Chris Hefferan is an applied physicist specializing in first principles application to technical problems that caters to a broad range of disciplines and industries. He serves as the principal scientist on unique and complex problems requiring both the rigorous application of the scientific method and an innovative approach to achieve resolution. These investigations often encompass failure analysis of metals and plastics and utilize a diverse suite of techniques ranging from microscopy to analytical chemistry.
Dr. Hefferan is one of the pioneering developers of the synchrotron-based near-field High Energy X-ray Diffraction (nf-HEDM) technique at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) 1-ID beam line at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). His publications focus on grain topology, grain orientation, and microstructural response to thermal treatments in metals. These publications are some of the first scientific results produced with this technique.
Dr. Hefferan has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented at scientific conferences.