Dr. Levitas is a mechanical engineer who has developed a strong multidisciplinary research program at the intersection of advanced mechanics, physics, material science, chemistry and applied mathematics and collaborates with the leading researchers over the world in these fields. He is considered as a founder of the theoretical high-pressure mechanochemistry. Dr. Levitas predicted and discovered various materials phenomena, including (a) virtual melting much below the thermodynamic melting temperature as mechanism of various phase transformations, high-strain-rate plastic flow, and fracture; (b) melt-dispersion-mechanism for reactions of aluminum nanoparticles, and (c) phase transformation in boron nitride induced by rotational plastic instability.

He publishes his research results in the highly ranked journals in the fields of: Mechanics of Materials (J. Mechanics and Physics of Solids, Int. J. of Plasticity, Int. J. Solids and Structures, Int. J. Engineering Science); Physics (Physical Review Letters, Physical Review B, Europhysics Letters, Applied Physics Letters, Journal of Applied Physics). Material Science (Acta Materialia, Philosophical Magazine A); Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics (Journal of Physical Chemistry, Journal of Chemical Physics); Computational Mechanics and Material Science (Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, Computational Material Science); Mechanics and Applied Mathematics (Archive for Rational Mechanics and Analysis, Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids); Superhard and Smart Materials (Superhard Materials, J. Intelligent Material System and Structures).

Dr. Levitas presented numerous plenary and keynote lectures at various international conferences, as well as numerous invited lectures at various organizations over the world. He organized multiple international multidisciplinary symposia on phase transformations and mechanochemistry.