He is currently Associate Dean for Research in Engineering and the Dick Rothwell Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. He served at Chemical Engineering Department Chair from 1997-2005. He has more than 280 refereed publications, two books and three book chapters, and six U.S. patents. He has supervised 45 Ph.D. and 8 M.S. students. His current research investigates the surface, growth, and materials chemistry of metal, dielectric, and ferroelectric films and silicon nanostructures. The work seeks to develop and understand the reactions and chemistry that control nucleation and growth of films and nanostructures, and understand the properties of these materials and relate the properties to structure, bonding, and growth.