Each of the college’s departments maintains an active research portfolio across a wide range of disciplines that often merge for impactful interdisciplinary approaches in the areas of basic and applied engineering and science. Biosystems engineering is housed within the UT Institute of Agriculture.
Biosystems Engineering
The department’s six main areas of research focus are soil conservation and health; hydrology and water management; waste management; bioprocessing and biomass conversion; power and machinery; and instrumentation, sensors, and control systems.
Chemical and Biomolecular
The department’s three main research areas are advanced materials, biomolecular engineering, and sustainable energy, with multiple specialty research thrusts within.
Civil and Environmental Engineering
The department conducts research in the areas of construction and management, environment and water resources; geotechnical and materials, structural, and transportation.
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Main research areas across the three distinct disciplines include data analytics, intelligent systems, and machine learning; high-performance computing; microelectronics and microwaves; power systems and power electronics; sensors, networked and embedded systems, and cybersecurity; and signal and image processing, communication, and control.
Industrial and Systems Engineering
Research areas include logistics, transportation, and supply chain; optimization; and engineering management.
Materials Science and Engineering
Research areas include materials for energy applications; advanced structural materials; electronic, optical, and magnetic materials; nanomaterials; computer materials science; and polymer and bio-materials.
Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering
Research areas cut across three distinct disciplines and include aerospace; automotive; biomedical and biomechanics; computational engineering sciences; mechanics of composite materials; robotics, automation, and manufacturing; structures and vibrations; and thermal fluid sciences.
Nuclear Engineering
Research areas include fission, safety, and instrumentation and controls; space and radiological; fusion and materials; and security and detection.
UT Space Institute
Current areas of research excellence are focused on materials and propulsion, specifically in the areas of hypersonics, laser application, materials processing, applied fluid dynamics, flight systems, advanced carbon fiber, and computational mechanics.