MSE is pleased to announce that Tim Chambers has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the MSE Faculty Outstanding Achievement Award. He was selected for his foundational contributions to the MSE undergraduate educational experience.

"Tim has made truly significant contributions at the Department, College, and University levels—developing new programs, guiding student organizations, leading curricular advancement, and connecting Michigan Engineering to the wider world—simply because he believes in the mission of Michigan MSE," remarked MSE Chair Elizabeth Holm, Richard F. and Eleanor A. Towner Professor of Engineering. "Congratulations to Tim on a well-deserved honor!"

Chambers earned his BS in physics from U-M in 2006 and his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Arizona in 2014. He returned to U-M in 2015, joining the MSE staff as an Engineering Technician in the Van Vlack Undergraduate Laboratory; he began teaching full-time as a Lecturer III in 2022.

A passionate educator and mentor, Chambers has received multiple honors, including the American Society for Engineering Education’s New Materials Educator Award (2021), the U-M College of Engineering’s Thomas M. Sawyer Jr. Teaching Award (2022), and the College of Engineering Outstanding Student Organization Advisor Award (2025) for his work with the Michigan Materials Society (MMS), which he has advised since 2022.

Chambers is deeply involved in MSE-related activities, notably with the Bladesmithing team and ASM Teachers Camp, and has served on the MSE Undergraduate Committee since 2016. He is an active member of ASM (serving as a Teachers Camp volunteer) and TMS (contributing to both the Education and Bladesmithing Committees).

For the 2025-26 academic year, Chambers teaches MSE 360 and MSE 365 (Advanced Materials Lab I & II), MSE 254: Mathematical Methods of Materials Science—which he designed—and ENGR100-Sec130: Sustainable Engineering and Materials, a collaborative course created with Kelsey McLendon.

Outside the lab and classroom, he brings his musical talents to the UM Alumni Band (2016–present), playing bass guitar and tuba. Above all, he says he is grateful for his “pure good luck” in joining the U-M MSE community, and enthusiastically supports his field, his department, and the Wolverines. 

Chambers will be officially recognized by the College of Engineering at the annual Faculty Honors Dinner Dance on March 13.

Congratulations, Tim!