William Hill Butler Named New Director for UA Mint Center

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. William Hill Butler has been named the new director for the Center for Materials for Information Technology, known as MINT, at The University of Alabama. His appointment officially began on Aug. 16.

Butler will also serve as a professor in the department of physics and astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences. He received a bachelor’s degree (with highest honors) in physics from Auburn University, and a doctorate in physics from the University of California where he studied under Nobel Laureate Walter Kohn.

From 1969 until 1972 he was assistant professor of physics at Auburn University. He joined the Metals and Ceramics Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1972, and has been group leader of the Theory Group at Oak Ridge since 1984. He has received Department of Energy awards for Outstanding Scientific Achievement and for Outstanding Sustained Research.

Butler belongs to the American Physical Society, the Materials Research Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, and served as meeting chair for the Spring 1990 Meeting of the MRS.

“I consider it a great honor and privilege to be associated with the MINT faculty and staff,” said Butler. “Under the leadership of Bill Doyle and Chester Alexander, MINT has achieved a national and international reputation in the field of information storage. It will be an exciting challenge to work with the MINT faculty and staff to build on this foundation.”

“We are very happy to have Dr. Butler lead and direct our prestigious MINT center now and into the future. He has built an outstanding career in physics, and we are certain that his knowledge, experience and management abilities will be an asset for The University of Alabama,” said Dr. Nancy Barrett, provost and vice president of academic affairs.

“MINT and the many academic programs that work with and depend on the center — from chemistry to physics to mathematics — will certainly be in good hands and guaranteed to continue providing our students a world class education, and the scientific community with a marvelous resource.”

MINT is a multidisciplinary research program focusing on new materials for advanced data storage. A major emphasis is on materials for magnetic heads and media, key components in high-performance information storage systems. The mission of the Center is to perform world-class research, educate students, and serve as a resource and communication channel for the information storage industry.

Twenty-two faculty from seven academic programs including chemical engineering, chemistry, electrical engineering, materials science, mathematics, metallurgical and materials engineering, and physics work together in a team environment to provide students with a broad training in materials. Research carried out in cooperation with industrial partners prepares students for exciting careers in a rapidly expanding field.