Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
MEMS students and faculty

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (MEMS) is the largest in the Swanson School, with more than 40 primary faculty whose expertise spans advanced manufacturing, energy and power systems, solid and fluid mechanics, smart materials, robotics, controls, acoustics, computational engineering, and nanotechnology.

Faculty are active researchers who bring current work directly into the classroom, and the department emphasizes critical thinking and hands-on problem solving at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Learn more about our faculty and their work through the spotlight series.

Congratulations to our Spring 2026 graduates!

$16M
Research Expenditures
600+
Undergraduate Students
220+
Graduate Students
3
Major Disciplines

News

Where a Classroom Meets Community

Where a Classroom Meets Community

The University of Pittsburgh’s Liz Caruso teaches students to embrace uncertainty. In her course Innovating for Public...

Listening for Trouble

Listening for Trouble

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering have partnered with Pittsburgh startup...

Juan José Mendoza-Arenas Found a New Use for an Existing Mathematical Tool

Juan José Mendoza-Arenas Found a New Use for an Existing Mathematical Tool

A paper from the lab of Juan José Mendoza-Arenas illustrating an extraordinary example of mathematical efficiency was...

Pitt Prototype Puts Potholes on Notice

Pitt Prototype Puts Potholes on Notice

For Pittsburgh drivers, city officials, and repair crews, potholes are a seemingly endless source of frustration. For...

Events

Oct 22

MEMS Department Seminar Series: Dr. Vaibhav Yadav

Host: Tatsuya Sakurahara Dr. Vaibhav Yadav, Distinguished Staff Scientist, Idaho National Laboratory Topic - Can...

Nov 05

MEMS Department Seminar Series: Prof. Craig Arnold

Host: Mostafa Bedewy Prof. Craig Arnold, Susan Dod Brown Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton...

Nov 12

MEMS Department Seminar Series: Assoc. Prof. Xiang Yang

Host: Juan Jose Mendoza Arenas Assoc. Prof. Xiang Yang, Kenneth K. & Olivia J. Kuo Early Career Professor, Penn...