Message from the Chair
Before every technological revolution, there is a materials revolution.
Welcome to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Rutgers University.
Throughout history, humanity has pursued a common set of aspirations: to live longer, communicate farther and faster, harness cleaner energy, build stronger, and create a more sustainable world. Our ability to achieve these aspirations has always depended on one thing: our ability to discover, understand, and engineer new materials.
Advances in glassmaking produced lenses that enabled microscopes and telescopes, transforming our understanding of life and the universe. Steel built modern cities. Semiconductors launched the digital age. Optical fibers connected the world through the internet. Today, new materials are driving advances in clean energy, healthcare, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, sustainable manufacturing, and resilient infrastructure. While these challenges may appear different, they share a common foundation: Every one of them is fundamentally a materials challenge.
For more than a century, Rutgers Materials Science and Engineering has helped shape this story. Our alumni have contributed to transformative technologies that have changed the way the world communicates and connects. Rutgers Ph.D. alumnus Peter Schultz was a member of the pioneering Corning team that developed the first low-loss optical fiber, laying the foundation for today's global fiber-optic communications infrastructure. Rutgers alumnus Matthew Dejneka later played a key role in developing Gorilla Glass, helping to redefine the durability of modern mobile devices.
Our faculty contribute to this tradition by translating fundamental discoveries into technologies that improve lives. Their innovations include low-carbon construction materials that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These recycled structural materials transform waste into durable infrastructure, safer battery technologies for next-generation energy storage, and advances in materials for healthcare, photonics, quantum information science, and sustainable computing. Although the applications are diverse, they are united by a common purpose: improving the human condition through materials.
That purpose also defines how we educate our students. At Rutgers, students do far more than learn materials science—they practice it. Through hands-on research, close faculty mentorship, and collaborations with industry, national laboratories, healthcare organizations, and international partners, they learn how scientific discoveries become technologies that benefit society. Whether they pursue careers in industry, entrepreneurship, academia, or government, our graduates leave Rutgers prepared to lead from the very beginning of their careers.
The future of materials science is being transformed by the convergence of experiments, advanced characterization, computation, automation, and artificial intelligence. At Rutgers, we embrace these advances while remaining grounded in the scientific principles that define our discipline. We believe tomorrow's materials scientists and engineers must combine technical excellence with creativity, interdisciplinary thinking, entrepreneurial spirit, and a commitment to solving society's most pressing challenges.
Our greatest strength, however, is our people. We are committed to fostering a community where curiosity is encouraged, diverse perspectives are valued, collaboration is celebrated, and excellence is expected. We seek to educate not only exceptional scientists and engineers, but also innovators, entrepreneurs, educators, and leaders who will shape the future of technology and society.
As Chair, my vision is to build upon Rutgers' distinguished legacy while positioning our department among the world's leading centers for materials science and engineering. We will continue to strengthen our research enterprise, expand interdisciplinary collaborations, deepen partnerships with industry, national laboratories, and global institutions, and create transformative educational experiences that prepare our students to address the defining challenges of the twenty-first century.
Whether you are a prospective student, a researcher seeking collaboration, an industry partner, or one of our many accomplished alums, I invite you to join our community.
The next breakthrough in clean energy, healthcare, artificial intelligence, or quantum technology will begin with a new material. Perhaps it will begin here at Rutgers.
Ashutosh Goel
Professor and Chair
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey