Materials Science and Engineering at UC San Diego Ranks #10 in the Nation

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The University of California San Diego has ranked #10 in the nation for materials science and engineering, according to the 2024 ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS).

“I am thrilled that UC San Diego is ranked in the top ten in the nation for materials science and engineering,” said Albert P. Pisano, Dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering and Special Adviser to the Chancellor. “This ranking is based on objective academic indicators, and it provides an external confirmation of our world class excellence in materials science and materials engineering – in terms of education, research and industry collaboration.”

Here at UC San Diego, many materials science and engineering research and graduate education efforts are tied to the UC San Diego Program in Materials Science and Engineering, which is led by Professor Olivia A. Graeve. This program, housed in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, is the largest of its kind in the University of California system. There are more than 110 affiliated faculty from all across the UC San Diego campus. 

“Advances in materials science and materials engineering are critical for addressing many of the difficult challenges we face as a society. If you look closely at any number of big challenges, you will find materials science and materials engineering challenges that must be solved in order to remove bottlenecks that hold back advances that could improve lives. A few examples are sustainable energy systems, healthcare, and advanced computing,” said Graeve, the Director of the Program in Materials Science and Engineering at UC San Diego and Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. 

UC San Diego has a long history of cross disciplinary excellence in materials science and materials engineering education, research and industry collaborations. In 2020, UC San Diego won funding for a prestigious US National Science Foundation (NSF) Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) which spans the Jacobs School of Engineering, the School of Physical Sciences and the School of Biological Sciences. 

Many of the campus’ strengths in materials science are reflected in the new ranking from the ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS). This ranking system uses a range of objective academic indicators and third-party data to measure the performance of world universities in many subjects including materials science and engineering. Overall, the five major evaluation categories are: world-class faculty, world-class output, high-quality research, research impact and international collaboration. The index of international academic awards is based on the Academic Excellence Survey (AES) conducted by ShanghaiRanking. Read about the ranking methodology here.

“In collaboration with our partners from industry, National Labs and academia, we work hard to provide our students with exciting research and learning opportunities at the cutting edge of many exciting areas,” said Graeve, who is the inagural holder of the Elias Masry Endowed Chair in the Jacobs School of Engineering. “At the same time, we prepare our students for life-long success by empowering them to develop their originality, creativity, and critical thinking abilities, in an environment that cultivates an enduring ethic of integrity, social engagement and service.” 

Within the Program in Materials Science and Engineering, there are five thrust areas in the curriculum for graduate students. 

“Professor Graeve, in collaboration with the faculty, has developed a forward-looking, innovative and disruptive vision for materials science and engineering research and education. The practical outcomes of this vision, in terms of both research advances and workforce development, are critical for solving the toughest shared challenges that society faces,” said Pisano.  

Curriculum Thrust Areas

Biomaterials, Soft Robotics and Biomedical Devices
Soft matter, cell-material interaction, health monitoring and wearables, bioelectronics and soft robotics. Engineered living materials, drug delivery and dynamic biomaterials. 

Computational and Data-driven Design
Theoretical, computational and data-driven materials design. Accelerated and automated materials discovery.

Extreme Properties and Environments
Advanced structural and functional materials; sensor materials and devices. Materials for hypersonic aviation, sustainable aerospace concepts, disaster management.

Quantum, Electronic and Photonic Materials
Electronic, magnetic, phononic, and photonic materials; atomic-to-bulk scale synthesis, fabrication; imaging, characterization, spectroscopy, microscopy; microelectronic processing and integration; quantum information and sensing, and non-conventional computing.

Sustainability and Energy
Materials designs inspired from nature; carbon-dioxide-neutral synthesis and processing; energy materials, eco-friendly and circular materials processing concepts.