Roger H. French has spent his career connecting disciplines—and people—through data.
An internationally recognized scientist, educator and innovator, French is known for transforming how researchers understand the lifecycle of materials. This spring, ӰƵ recognized his profound impact by naming him a Distinguished University Professor.
French, the Kyocera Professor of Ceramics in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, joined the Case School of Engineering faculty in 2010 following a distinguished quarter-century career at DuPont. His decision was driven by a desire to explore the emerging frontiers of big data, distributed computing, and lifetime science.
“The university has been committed to high performance computing for decades, having been a significant player in Arpanet in the 1970s,” said French. “When I was contemplating leaving central research at DuPont for academe, ӰƵ was clearly a desirable destination.”
In the 15 years since, he has become a leading voice in materials data science, helping pioneer what is now known as “Data-Centric AI/ML”—a methodology that unites artificial intelligence and materials science to solve real-world challenges.
“In his work … French set an entirely new direction for the department, school, university, and beyond, with enormous potential for timely research and student education,” wrote Venkataramanan “Ragu” Balakrishnan, the outgoing Charles H. Phipps Dean of Case School of Engineering, in nominating French. “In his area of education and research, he is a leader with international visibility.”
That leadership—and his forward-looking approach to integrating data science with materials research—took tangible form in the Solar Durability and Lifetime Extension (SDLE) Research Center, which French launched in 2011. The SDLE Research Center has grown into a nationally recognized research hub, supporting more than 300 investigators and enabling groundbreaking research in predictive lifetime science. Through SDLE and affiliated projects, French has helped secure more than $42 million in research funding.
He is also a builder of academic infrastructure. In 2013, French worked with colleagues across the university to establish CWRU’s undergraduate minor in applied data science, available across all eight schools. It was later joined by a graduate certificate program, and together they have reached more than 1,100 students since 2015.
French’s teaching extends to partner institutions including University of Central Florida, University of Pittsburgh, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and soon Tuskegee University, expanding access to data science education nationwide. He has mentored dozens of undergraduate and graduate students at CWRU and created paid summer research and outreach opportunities for high school students across Greater Cleveland.
His innovations also extend into the private sector. French co-founded Edifice Analytics, a startup built around his patented virtual energy audit technology—translating decades of data analytics into tools for sustainable building management.
“[Over his career], Professor French has reshaped the way the scientific community approaches material reliability,” wrote Dierk Raabe, managing director of the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials. “His innovative applications of AI provide actionable insights for industries ranging from energy to healthcare—an achievement that is highly impressive and rarely seen in this breadth.”
Reflecting on the honor, French said the recognition felt personal—but not individual.
“The university has been supportive of my initiatives in applied data science,” he said. “I’m proud to work with many different people and departments across the university as we train data-enabled students to prosper in whatever fields they pursue.”