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Department Research Areas

Research in mechanical engineering at Maryland represents one of the most diverse and broad-reaching arrays of topics.

For information on our graduate technical divisions, visit the Master of Science or Doctor of Philosophy pages. 

Advanced Manufacturing

Mechanical Engineering researchers are advancing innovative technologies for next-generation product manufacturing including electronics, additive manufacturing, nano-scale 3-D printing, rapid prototyping and more.

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Applied Mechanics

Researchers in applied mechanics explore the application of theoretical and computational solid mechanics to engineering technology such as creating a crease in a single layer of molybdenum disulfide which changes its mechanical, electrical, and thermal behaviors.

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Biomedical Devices & Systems

Mechanical engineers at Maryland develop and improve devices, technologies, and systems to probe biological processes and improve human health such as virtual reality test beds for evaluating medical care systems to developing a new generation of non-invasive cardiovascular health monitoring tools.

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Computational Science

Researchers in the area of computational science leverage the use of computer technologies, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to create complex simulations and build computational solutions to real-world challenges.

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Design & Optimization

Researchers use application of design and optimization methodologies to solve engineering challenges.

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Dynamics & Controls

Research in the modeling and control of complex dynamical systems ranges from nonlinear vibration to information systems.

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Electronics Reliability & Sustainability

Much of the department’s research in the reliability of electronics at the level of components, packages, systems, and supply chains is spearheaded by faculty in our Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering, which is at the forefront of international standards development for critical electronic systems.

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Energy

Mechanical Engineering researchers at Maryland are developing new materials, devices, and processes for advancing energy generation, storage, and management. In one such innovation, researchers used modified wood as a unique architecture for the negative electrode of a lithium metal battery.

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Energy for the Built Environment

Researchers in the department are developing sustainable technologies and design methods for improving energy and air quality management within the built environment. One such innovation in our Center for Environmental Energy Engineering is the Roving Comfortable, a robotic personal heating/cooling unit that could reduce energy consumption in buildings by up to 30 percent.

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Fluid Mechanics & Hydrodynamics

Researchers at Maryland are performing both fundamental and applied investigations into the kinematics and dynamics of complex fluid flows including the creation of high-fidelity turbulence simulations for routine applications to real-world problems.

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Heat Transfer & Thermal Systems

Advanced solutions for thermal management of systems ranging from electronics to energy such as utilizing additive manufacturing to rapid prototype heat exchangers for high temperature aerospace applications.

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Microsystems, Nanoscale Science, and Quantum Systems

Researchers explore the design, fabrication, and application of devices and systems at micrometer to nanometer length scales, including the development of quantum technologies.

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Risk & Reliability

Mechanical Engineering researchers are using integrated computational and experimental approaches to evaluating and managing risk and reliability in complex systems such as developing risk-based path planning for UAV operations. The department is home to the Center for Risk and Reliability, one of the largest and most comprehensive degree granting graduate programs in the field of reliability and risk analysis of engineered systems and processes.

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Robotics

Our researchers are advancing robotic technologies, integrating sensing, actuation, and controls, and our faculty are an integral part of the Maryland Robotics Center an interdisciplinary research center with the mission to advance robotic systems, the underlying component technologies, and the applications of robotics through interdisciplinary research and educational programs.

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Smart Materials & Structures

Our faculty and students explore active materials and their integration into smart structures through combining sensing, actuation, and controls.

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