Carbon and ceramic foams are at the center of intensive development for thermal management, thermal protection, filtration, packing, sensor and structural applications. Our goal is to fabricate multi-functional foams with optimal thermal, electrical, magnetic and oxidation resistant properties.  The processing will be carried out with various reinforcing carbon fibers with and without ceramic and/or metallic coating during foaming as well as phase changing materials. In parallel to demonstrating the viability of processing such foams, testing will commence to identify the resultant properties. Multiple tests over a wide range will be performed—mechanical testing with flexure, compression, or tensile testing, thermal testing including thermal conductivity, flammability and oxidation studies, life time studies including crack propagation and fatigue, and SEM studies. Subsequently digital imaging of the microstructural geometry will be translated to finite element models for parametric studies of multiple cells.  The integrated “Processing-Characterization-Modeling” approach will enable us to characterize and quantify the foam microstructure to measured properties and expand our modeling effort to capture multi-cell behavior to study random cell size and defects. Furthermore homogenization techniques will be enlisted to assess the multifunctional, multi-gradient design of demonstration devices such as sensors and thermal protections systems.