
The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
(MEMS)
has a strong local, national, and international reputation as a premier teaching
and research institution. Essential to
MEMS is a commitment to excellence. MEMS alumni find
rewarding and well-paying jobs in industry and other employment sectors around
the globe, thanks in great part to the academic, research, and extracurricular
experiences they enjoy as students.
Our faculty place a high importance on teaching, encouraging
students to think critically and to establish a sound knowledgebase for future
success. Many of the faculty are world-renowned researchers who are well
positioned to bring the latest technological advances to the classroom.
To that end, MEMS students have access to first-rate laboratory
facilities that enhance learning through hands-on experience. That experience extends
itself to many student activities, including design projects, entrepreneurship
programs, and student-led groups like the Formula SAE Team, which designs,
builds and competes a small Formula-style race car on an international level. The Department
is actively involved in the Cooperative Education (Co-Op) Program, bringing
students together with industry for three terms of professional work before
graduation. Likewise, our students have access to several outstanding education
abroad programs in Europe and elsewhere that provide the global engineering
experience that is sought by many employers.
At the graduate level, advanced research is complemented with
classwork. The graduate students work with faculty on a
wide range of research projects that enable and support forefront technologies.
With annual research expenditures exceeding $6 million, MEMS has particularly
renowned research competencies in:
Advanced manufacturing and design
Materials for extreme
conditions
Soft matter biomechanics
Computational and data-enabled engineering
Nuclear and other sustainable energies
Quantitative and in situ materials characterization
Our graduate education also reaches beyond the Pittsburgh
community, offering on-site professional master’s degrees and certificates in
mechanical engineering, materials science, and nuclear engineering.
Whether you are a former, current or prospective
student, or an employer, researcher or educator, you will undoubtedly be
impressed with Pitt’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials
Science. I invite you to explore the
academic excellence, significant achievements and many opportunities that we
have to offer.
Brian Gleeson, PhD
Harry S. Tack Chair Professor
Department Chairman