Thomas W Eagar ScD PE

Professor of Materials Engineering and Engineering Management

Tom passed on October 9th, 2023 after a bad fall at home.

The whole career of Tom was intertwined with MIT. He started here as an undergraduate student in 1968, earned his doctorate in 1975, and became a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in 1976. He was Department Chair between 1995 and 2000. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, received many prestigious awards, and had many publications and patents.

Tom was a keen advocate for the application of scientific principles in practical problems and was known throughout the world for his pioneering work on the science of welding. His welding class, available in video format since the 1990s, is a must-see for students of welding worldwide. His depth of knowledge and incredible intelligence were obvious within the first sentence of any technical conversation. He had strong opinions about engineering and education, and was never shy to share them. His stories about MIT, welding, engineering and consulting are legendary in themselves.

It is heart wrenching to feel those conversations will not be repeated, and his stories will not be retold. We are comforted in the knowledge that he loved much, he knew he was loved, and his legacy is alive and well. Tom was a caring and protective mentor to his family, students and fellow members of his church; he considered his service to others to be more important than any of his career accomplishments.

Thank you for being an important part of Tom's life. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers of support, and hope that you will honor his memory by helping others in the way that he helped each of us.

We also encourage you to share your memories of Tom here: https://rememberingtomeagar.com