College remembers Dr. Michael Rigsbee, professor and former department head

Dr. J. Michael Rigsbee, professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University, died Jan. 8.

Rigsbee came to NC State in 1998 to head the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) after serving as professor and chair of the Department of Materials and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He served as the department head in MSE until 2009 and continued to serve as a professor in the department.

Prior to joining the UAB faculty, Rigsbee was on the faculty at the University of Illinois for 14 years and served for one year as a program director in the Metallurgy and Ceramics Programs at the National Science Foundation. He also worked in industry, serving as a senior research metallurgist with Republic Steel Corp.

A Durham native, Rigsbee earned his bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering in 1969, his master’s degree in materials engineering in 1971 and his doctoral degree in materials engineering in 1974, all from NC State.