Alan Needleman (born September 2, 1944) is a professor of materials science & engineering at Texas A&M University.

Needleman's main research interests are in the computational modeling of deformation and fracture processes in structural materials, in particular metals.

A general objective is to provide quantitative relations between the measurable (and hopefully controllable) features of the materials' micro-scale structure and its macroscopic mechanical behavior.

Ongoing research projects involve studies of ductile fracture and ductile-brittle transitions; crack growth in heterogeneous microstructures with particular emphasis on the role of interfaces; nonlocal and discrete dislocation plasticity; fatigue crack growth; and fast fracture in brittle solids.

Professor Needleman often collaborates with Viggo Tvergaard, John Hutchinson, Subra Suresh, and Erik van der Giessen among others in both materials science and mechanics.