Welcome. My name is Marian Kennedy and I am a tenured faculty member at Clemson University, a research-intensive university located in the southeastern US. As a faculty member, my focus is on developing new knowledge for the materials science community and helping students develop into the next generation of researchers, scholars and leaders. When I initially became a faculty member, the research work carried out by my team centered on elucidating structure-property relationships for metallic thin films. Since then, our work has broadened to encompass a wider array of structural materials and also expanded into new engineering education research. Our work takes part both in traditional experimental laboratories, where testing is done, and in our offices, where we read literature, analyze data, discuss our findings, and think. In addition to research, I also spend time designing professional development opportunities for students, faculty, and teachers.

To learn more about Dr. Kennedy’s scholarship and research, use the following links:
Courses (recent):
- MSE 4280/6280 Phase Diagrams
- MSE 3100 Introduction to Metals and Ceramics
- MSE 2100 Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering
Recent contributions to the Materials Education Community:
- Blog: STEM Graduate Programs- Applying and Thriving
- Co-Organizer of the Educational Symposium at the TMS Annual Meeting (2025, 2026)
Resources for the mat. sci. & eng. courses:
- ThermoCalc (Student Version)
- nanoHub
- Prof. Kelvin Xie’s Channel- videos on materials science and microscopy
Books recommendations for early career scientists/engineers:





