Harold Thomas Greathouse III

Thomas

Former M.S. student
Ph.D. student at RPTU Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau

I first learned of Materials Science in one of my welding courses at community college while wanting to gain practical fabrication skills in metal to build bicycles.  With welding skills I developed a feeling I can build anything.  I found the materials science of welding fascinating and that passion has given me impetus to earn an Associates of Science degree in Welding Technology, then continue at UC Berkeley with a mind for welding metallurgy. There, I explored my interests in materials characterization, corrosion, and mechanical properties.  Along the way I joined two research groups, one of which led to a summer research opportunity at SCK in Belgium after graduation in 2024.  
 
In 2025, I went back to SCK as a graduate student to conduct what would become my master's thesis research, working closely with my mentor on the Mechanical and corrosion performance of 316L Electron Beam Weld (EBW) Protected by Aluminum Alloyed Austenitic Steel ~Fe-10Cr-16Ni-2Mn-3Al Weld Overlay in Liquid Pb, qualifying candidate materials for Generation IV liquid metal cooled reactors.  
 
This picture was taken during that summer just before my 900-mile solo bike trip into Germany's Black Forest to visit friends. The technicians at SCK helped me AC weld an extension onto the alloy rack, even welding part of it myself :^) 
 
My favorite quote: "Happiness is the road to success"