Professional Background

Amy currently conducts research on bioinspired ultra high temperature materials in the Materials Sciences Division at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Her interests involves studying bioinspired materials, fracture mechanics, advanced manufacturing, ceramic processing, and ceramic/metal or ceramic/polymer composites. Her current research involves feedstock engineering of ceramic nanoparticles for turbine blade coatings, nanoceramic synthesis, and binderjet printing. She also works on ceramic-metal composite fabrication and testing for armor materials and hypersonic vehicles.

She was a NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the Materials Science Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Materials Science Department at UC Berkeley. She obtained her PhD and MS in Materials Science and Engineering from University of California, Berkeley in 2018 and 2016, respectively, and completed her BS in Mechanical Engineering at California State University, Los Angeles in 2012.  

During her time in Berkeley, her previous research was on improving the fracture toughness of brittle materials by replicating the brick-and-mortar microstructure found in abalone shells using engineering ceramics as the brick and metal as the mortar. This work has been published in Nature Communications and Small.

Aside from her research, she also has been active in creating and supporting inclusion in science and engineering. She loves exploring new cultures through traveling and trying new cuisines.

Research Interests

Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics, Bioinspired Materials, Mechanical Properties, Fracture Toughness, Ceramic-metal Composites, Additive Manufacturing, Biological Materials, Feedstock Engineering

PhD, Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2018

MS, Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, 2016

BS, Mechanical Engineering, California State University, Los Angeles, 2012

1. A. Wat, J. Lee, C. W. Ryu, B. Gludovatz, J. Y. Kim, A. P. Tomsia, T. Ishikawa, J. Schmitz, A. Meyer, M. Alfreider, D. Kiener, E. S. Park, R. O. Ritchie, “Bioinspired Nacre-Like Alumina with a Bulk-Metallic Glass-Forming Alloy as a Compliant Phase,” Nature Communications, vol. 10, 2019, pp. 961. (doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-08753-6)
2. A. Wat, X. Deng, C. Ferraro, A. Sweet, A. P. Tomsia, E. Saiz, R. O. Ritchie, “Bioinspired Nacre-like Alumina with a Metallic Nickel Compliant-Phase Fabricated by Spark-Plasma Sintering” Small, 2019, 1900573. (doi: 10.1002/smll.201900573)
3. S. Yin, W. Yang, J. Kwon, A. Wat, M. A. Meyers, and R. O. Ritchie, “Hyperelastic Phase-Field Fracture Mechanics Modeling of the Toughening Induced by Bouligand Structures in Natural Materials,” Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, vol. 131, 2019, pp. 204-220. (doi: 10.1016/j.jmps.2019.07.001)
4. L. Pruitt, L.G. Malito, A. Wat, “Characterization of Fatigue Fracture in Polymers,” in ASM Handbook, Volume 8, Mechanical Testing and Evaluation, H. Kuhn and D. Medlin, Eds., ASM. International, Ohio, Submitted.

Google Scholar

LLNL Engineering Directorate Award 2020

Poster Award, 8th International Conference on Mechanics of Biomaterials and Tissues 2019

Offered National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship 2013

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program Fellow 2013

Sally Casanova Scholar, California Pre-Doctoral Scholarship 2011

Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Scholar 2009

Accepted into the Early Entrance Program, Became a full-time college student at age 14 2006