Materials Science and Engineering

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2019-20 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

Overview

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) administers undergraduate and graduate programs in materials science and engineering. In addition, undergraduate students may elect to apply for one of five joint major programs.

Materials Science and Engineering encompasses natural and human-made materials — their extraction, synthesis, processing, properties, characterization, and development for technological applications. Advanced engineering activities that depend upon optimized materials include the energy technologies, including photovoltaics, batteries, and fuel cells; new medical devices and the healthcare industries; electronics and photonics; and transportation, communication, and nanotechnology.

Students in materials science and engineering apply a basic foundation of mathematics, chemistry, physics, and engineering to fields of specialization that include biomaterials; electronic, magnetic, and optical materials; materials for energy technologies; structural materials; chemical and electrochemical materials science and engineering; and computational materials science and engineering. Nanoscale science and engineering play an important role in all of these specializations.

Research Facilities

There are many cutting-edge research facilities on campus that are available for Materials Science and Engineering, such as the Marvell Nanofabrication Lab, the Biomolecular Nanotechnology Center (BNC), and the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (qb3).  Students in our program commonly pursue research projects that make use of these facilities, as well as those available through the national user facilities at the nearby Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Undergraduate Programs

Materials Science and Engineering: BS, Minor
Bioengineering/Materials Science and Engineering: BS (Joint Major)
Chemical Engineering/Materials Science and Engineering: BS (Joint Major offered in cooperation with the College of Chemistry)
Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences/Materials Science and Engineering: BS (Joint Major)
Materials Science and Engineering/Mechanical Engineering: BS (Joint Major)
Materials Science and Engineering/Nuclear Engineering: BS (Joint Major)

Graduate Programs

Materials Science and Engineering: MEng, 5th Year BS/MS, MS/PhD, PhD

Courses

Materials Science and Engineering

Faculty and Instructors

+ Indicates this faculty member is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.

Faculty

Joel W. Ager, Adjunct Professor.

Zakaria Y. Al Balushi, Assistant Professor. Electronic, Magnetic and Optical Materials, Quantum Materials Synthesis and Optoelectronics.
Research Profile

Paul Alivisatos, Professor. Physical chemistry, semiconductor nanocrystals, nanoscience, nanotechnology, artificial photosynthesis, solar energy, renewable energy, sustainable energy.
Research Profile

Mark D. Asta, Professor.

Jillian Banfield, Professor. Nanoscience, Bioremediation, genomics, biogeochemistry, carbon cycling, geomicrobiology, MARS, minerology.
Research Profile

Robert Birgeneau, Professor. Physics, phase transition behavior of novel states of matter.
Research Profile

Gerbrand Ceder, Professor.

Daryl Chrzan, Professor. Materials science and engineering, computational materials science, metals and metallic compounds, defects in solids, growth of nanostructures.
Research Profile

Thomas M. Devine, Professor. Synthesis of nanomaterials, nuclear power, oil production, secondary batteries for electric vehicles, computer disk drives, and synthesis and characterization of metal oxide nanowires, corrosion resistance of materials.
Research Profile

Fiona Doyle, Professor. Electrochemistry, mineral processing, solution processing of materials, interfacial chemistry, extractive metallurgy, remediation of abandoned mines.
Research Profile

Oscar D. Dubon, Professor. Magnetic, optical materials, processing, properties in electronic.
Research Profile

Kevin Healy, Professor. Bioengineering, biomaterials engineering, tissue engineering, bioinspired materials, tissue and organ regeneration, stem cell engineering, microphysiological systems, organs on a chip, drug screening and discovery, multivalent bioconjugate therapeutics.
Research Profile

Frances Hellman, Professor. Condensed matter physics and materials science.
Research Profile

Lane W. Martin, Associate Professor. Complex Oxides, novel electronic materials, thin films, materials processing, materials characterization, memory, logic, information technologies, energy conversion, thermal properties, dielectrics, ferroelectrics, pyroelectrics, piezoelectrics, magnetics, multiferroics, transducers, devices.
Research Profile

Phillip B. Messersmith, Professor.

Andrew M. Minor, Professor. Metallurgy, nanomechanics, in situ TEM, electron microscopy of soft materials.
Research Profile

Kristin A. Persson, Assistant Professor. Lithium-ion Batteries.
Research Profile

R. Ramesh, Professor. Processing of complex oxide heterostructures, nanoscale characterization/device structures, thin film growth and materials physics of complex oxides, materials processing for devices, information technologies.
Research Profile

Robert O. Ritchie, Professor. Structural materials, mechanical behavior in biomaterials, creep, fatigue and fracture of advanced metals, intermetallics, ceramics.
Research Profile

Miquel B. Salmeron, Adjunct Professor. Molecules, lasers, atoms, materials science and engineering, matter, scanning, tunneling, atomic force microscopies, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
Research Profile

Mary Scott, Assistant Professor. Structural materials, Electronic, Magnetic and Optical Materials, and Chemical and Electrochemical Materials.
Research Profile

Junqiao Wu, Associate Professor. Semiconductors, nanotechnology, energy materials.
Research Profile

Ting Xu, Associate Professor. Polymer, nanocomposite, biomaterial, membrane, directed self-assembly, drug delivery, protein therapeutics, block copolymers, nanoparticles.
Research Profile

Peidong Yang, Professor. Materials chemistry, sensors, nanostructures, energy conversion, nanowires, miniaturizing optoelectronic devices, photovoltaics, thermoelectrics, solid state lighting.
Research Profile

Jie Yao, Assistant Professor. Optical materials, Nanophotonics, optoelectronics.
Research Profile

Haimei Zheng, Assistant Adjunct Professor.

Lecturers

Matthew Sherburne, Lecturer.

Emeritus Faculty

Robert H. Bragg, Professor Emeritus.

Didier De Fontaine, Professor Emeritus. Phase transformations in alloys, crystallography, thermodynamics of phase changes, particularly ordering reactions, phase separation, calculations of phase equilibria by combined quantum, statistical mechanical methods.
Research Profile

Lutgard De Jonghe, Professor Emeritus. Ceramic properties, advanced ceramics, silicon carbide, densification studies, microstructure development.
Research Profile

James W. Evans, Professor Emeritus. Production of materials, particularly fluid flow, reaction kinetics, mass transport, electrochemical, electromagnetic phenomena governing processes for producing materials, metals, storing energy.
Research Profile

+ Douglas W. Fuerstenau, Professor Emeritus. Mineral processing, extractive metallurgy, application of surface, colloid chemistry to mineral/water systems, fine particle science, technology, principles of comminution, flotation, pelletizing, hydrometallurg, extraction of metals.
Research Profile

Andreas M. Glaeser, Professor Emeritus. Ceramic joining, TLP bonding, brazing, reduced-temperature joining, ceramic-metal joining, ceramic processing, surface and interface properties of ceramics, thermal barrier coatings.
Research Profile

+ Ronald Gronsky, Professor Emeritus. Internal structure of materials, engineering applications.
Research Profile

Eugene E. Haller, Professor Emeritus. Semiconductor crystal growth, characterization of impurities and defects in semiconductors: infrared and microwave detectors, isotopically controlled semiconductors.
Research Profile

Digby D. Macdonald, Professor Emeritus.

Marshal F. Merriam, Professor Emeritus.

+ J. W. Morris, Professor Emeritus. Structural materials, computational materials, the limits of strength, deformation mechanisms, non-destructive testing with SQUID microscopy, mechanisms of grain refinement in high strength steels, lead-free solders for microelectronics.
Research Profile

Eicke R. Weber, Professor Emeritus. Optical materials, magnetic materials, semiconductor thin film growth, device processing in electronic materials.
Research Profile

Contact Information

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

210 Hearst Memorial Mining Building

Phone: 510-642-3801

Fax: 510-643-5792

Department Chair

Daryl Chrzan, PhD

216 Hearst Memorial Mining Building

dcchrzan@berkeley.edu

Minor Program Faculty Adviser

Daryl Chrzan, PhD

318 Heart Memorial Mining Building

Phone: 510-643-1624

dcchrzan@berkeley.edu

Student Services Adviser-Graduate

Ariana Castro

210A Hearst Memorial Mining Building

Phone: 510-642-0716

msessa@berkeley.edu

Student Services Advisor-Undergraduate

Mayra De La Cruz

210 Hearst Memorial Mining Building

Phone: 510-642-3802

mayradelacruz@berkeley.edu

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