Skip to content

Departmental Research

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.

Student working on Biosystems Engineering research project

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.

Eric Boder works with grad student in his lab

Chemical and Biomolecular

The department’s three main research areas are advanced materials, biomolecular engineering, and sustainable energy, with multiple specialty research thrusts within.

Grad student works at a GSMNP Mobile Lab

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.

Two grad students work in a Power Lab

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.

Xueping Li works in an the HITS Lab

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Research areas include logistics, transportation, and supply chain; optimization; and engineering management.

Students works in the SMRC Lab

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.

Students works in an FCMF Fabrication Lab

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.

Donovan works inside his lab

Nuclear Engineering

Research areas include fission, safety, and instrumentation and controls; space and radiological; fusion and materials; and security and detection.

Researchers work in the Hypersonics Lab

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.