Material Science and Engineering PhD Program

Program Mission:  
The mission of the PhD Program in Materials Science and Engineering is to educate and train very independent materials scientists and engineers with a strong foundation in materials synthesis and fabrication, advanced characterization techniques, and high-level computational methods to tackle grand and complex challenges in renewable energy, nanotechnology, optoelectronic, photonics, critical minerals, high-resolution imaging, biomaterials, energy security, semiconductors technology, and quantum technology, contributing significantly to a sustainable and prosperous society.

Program Goals: 
• Education: Provide a world-class doctoral education that ensures candidates master the advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of materials preparation, fabrication, processing, state-of-the-art characterization, and computational methods, enabling them to become independent researchers.
• Research: Lead fundamental and interdisciplinary research to tackle grand and complex challenges in strategic areas, including renewable energy, optoelectronic, sensing, High-resolution imaging, nanotechnology, biomaterials, and quantum technology.
• Community & Impact: Produce graduates whose research and leadership directly contribute meaningfully to solving critical scientific and technological challenges in support of a sustainable and prosperous society.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs)  

Knowledge and Understanding
• K1: Critically synthesize the advanced theoretical, computational, and experimental foundations of materials science and engineering, including crystal chemistry, microstructural evolution, defect physics, thermodynamics, kinetics, multiscale mechanics, and electronic/quantum phenomena governing material behavior.
• K2: Formulate new theoretical frameworks, computational models, or experimental paradigms to explain complex materials phenomena across multiple length and time scales, with application to strategic fields such as renewable energy, sensing, energy security, nanotechnology, critical minerals, biomaterials, semiconductors, and quantum materials.
• K3: Critically evaluate the technological feasibility, limitations, and long-term societal impact of emerging materials, processing strategies, and device architectures, drawing upon interdisciplinary perspectives from engineering, chemistry, applied physics, and sustainability science.
 
Skills
• S1: Conceive, design, and independently execute a substantial program of original research that advances fundamental understanding and/or technological innovation in materials science and engineering.
• S2: Develop and apply advanced experimental, computational, and analytical techniques—including state-of-the-art synthesis, processing, characterization, simulation, and data-driven methods—to investigate, model, and engineer material properties and performance.
• S3: Produce a body of original scholarly work suitable for publication  in high-impact, peer-reviewed international journals, and successfully defend a dissertation that represents a significant and original contribution to the field of materials science and engineering.

Values, Autonomy, and Responsibility
• V1: Uphold the highest standards of research integrity, intellectual autonomy, and academic rigor by critically defending the originality, methodology, and conclusions of a substantial doctoral dissertation in materials science and engineering.
• V2: Assess and take responsibility for the broader societal, environmental, and ethical implications of materials development, resource utilization, manufacturing processes, and emerging technologies with particular emphasis on sustainability and global well-being.
• V3: Exhibit intellectual leadership within interdisciplinary scientific environments by critically engaging in scholarly debate, effectively mentoring junior researchers, and fostering collaborative research communities that advance the field of materials science and engineering.