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 below.
News
Swanson School of Engineering Recognizes Timothy Knavish as Its 2026 Distinguished Alumnus in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering
On March 25, the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering held its annual Distinguished Alumni Banquet at...
CMU Honors Alumnus and Pitt Distinguished Professor Peyman Givi
Carnegie Mellon University has honored the University of Pittsburgh’s Peyman Givi with a Carnegie Tech 2026 Alumni...
Designing Transparent Armor
Using a technique inspired by kirigami, the Japanese art of paper cutting, engineers at the University of Pittsburgh...
From Research to Real-World Testing
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded the University of Pittsburgh’s Cyber Energy Center Phase Two...
Transforming the Ties That Bind
Connecting unlike materials such as titanium with nickel can pose a unique engineering challenge, especially if the...
Events
MEMS Department Graduate Seminar - Dr. Han
Dr. Bumsoo Han Professor University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign Topic: Biomanufacturing Microtissue Constructs...
First-Year Engineering Conference
Friends and family are invited to see their first-year engineering students present their semester-long papers for a...
Swanson School of Engineering Design Expo
Students display their semester-long capstone projects while industry judges evaluate their work. Top placing teams...
Swanson School of Engineering Graduate Commencement
A ceremony recognizing MS and PhD students from all 6 departments within the Swanson School of Engineering.
Order of the Engineer
The Order of the Engineer began in 1970 as a way “to foster a spirit of pride and responsibility...