Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Message From Chair

Welcome to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Irvine.  We are an interdisciplinary and enthusiastic group of faculty and staff who are firmly committed to the success of our students and programs. Created as a new department in 2018, MSE houses our well-established ABET-accredited B.S. in materials science and engineering, as well as a minor available to other undergraduate majors. We also offer a doctoral program in MSE and three options for master’s degrees: a thesis option and a comprehensive exam option, both of which are M.S. degrees; and a new professional Master’s of Engineering degree program (pending campus approval), offered in coordination with the school-wide Samueli School of Engineering program. 

The field of materials science and engineering sits at the intersection of chemistry, physics and engineering, with increasing expansion into mathematics, computing, machine learning, manufacturing and imaging, plus economics, sustainability and public policy. MSE is the field that enables all other areas of engineering by understanding – and therefore creating – new and exciting materials that enable faster computers, cleaner energy, more efficient automobiles and airplanes, stronger and longer-lasting hip implants and so much more!

Here, in MSE@UCI, our students, researchers and faculty are leading the world by exploring atomic-scale phenomena using our one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art high-resolution microscopes and other characterization facilities located in the Irvine Materials Research Institute (IMRI). We also leverage the extensive facilities available not only in individual faculty laboratories but also in others, such as the 3D printing and additive manufacturing capabilities in the Institute for Design and Manufacturing Innovation (IDMI), the combustion facilities in the National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCFC) and the specialized microscopes in the Optical Biology Core Facility (OBC). For those with interest in entrepreneurial activities, we can leverage ‘The Cove’ at UCI’s Applied Innovation. For those more focused on innovative education, we can capitalize on the resources available in the new Anteater Learning Pavilion. And when we’re not in the laboratories or classrooms, we can enjoy world-class theater or athletic events hosting our nationally ranked Anteater teams or simply enjoy our near-perfect Southern California climate and beaches (we are only five miles from our stunning coastline). 

UCI is one of the few members of the Association of American Universities (AAU) that is also a Minority Serving Institution. All of us here in MSE strongly support diversity and inclusive excellence, opportunities for first-generation students and veterans, mentoring and outreach, and work-life balance. We work hard to build a strong sense of community at all levels, as shown by our vibrant student clubs, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and by the collegiality among the faculty and staff. We are committed to our programs, but also to our profession, as evidenced by the leadership roles held by our faculty both on campus and in our professional societies such as MRS, TMS and the American Ceramic Society.

I encourage you to peruse our website and to visit our department, meet with our faculty and staff, talk with our students and learn about our special team, MSE@UCI. Zot! Zot! Zot! 

Sincerely, 

Lorenzo Valdevit
Professor and Interim Chair