Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2016
  • M.S.E., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2012
  • B.S.E., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2009
  • B.S., Applied Physics, Morehouse College, 2009
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer, South Carolina, #36791
Academic Appointments
  • Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, The Citadel, 2016 - 2021
Professional Affiliations
  • The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS)

Dr. Geathers is a mechanical engineer specializing in failure analysis, fatigue, fracture, materials characterization, engineering mechanics, and machine design. He has conducted research on fatigue and crack growth behavior in metals utilizing advanced experimental approaches and materials characterization techniques. 

Dr. Geathers' degrees in mechanical engineering and extensive research in materials science make him knowledgeable in both disciplines. He has experience with machining, mechanical testing techniques, nondestructive evaluation, fractography, microscopy, and additive manufacturing of polymers.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Geathers was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina where he taught classes and labs in measurements and instrumentation, manufacturing, engineering materials, solid mechanics, thermo-fluids, and machine design. He also investigated fracture mechanisms in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials.

As a graduate student at the University of Michigan, Dr. Geathers investigated the influence of microstructure and environment on the very high cycle fatigue (VHCF) behavior of titanium alloys in support of the aerospace industry's need to increase the lifetimes of turbine engine components. He developed a system and experiments that combined ultrasonic fatigue and electron microscopy to study crack initiation and growth mechanisms in structural materials as a function of the local crack-tip strain, microstructure, and environment. He gained extensive experience with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). He also performed experiments using 2-D and 3-D digital image correlation (DIC) techniques at various length scales from macro to micro to map displacement and strain localization in metals towards understanding the nature of strain accumulation leading to crack initiation and fracture.