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Materials Science and
Engineering
Core Faculty
TMI's core faculty lead cutting-edge research by running their grants through the institute, fostering collaboration and resource sharing.
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Graduate Program
Our Materials Science and Engineering program is one of the best in the nation, and our graduates go on to be leaders in their fields.
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Research
TMI supports interdisciplinary research at UT Austin, with over 100 faculty focusing on clean energy, nanotechnology, and advanced materials using our state-of-the-art facilities.
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Home
Nature-Inspired Tech Powers Faster Water Purification
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, led by Dr. D. Emma Fan, have developed a groundbreaking electrochemical manufacturing technology for water purification, inspired by the efficiency of natural structures like plant roots and the human lung.
Dr. Jean Anne Incorvia Publishes in Nature Review
Dr. Jean Anne C. Incorvia, Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, has made a significant contribution to the field of spintronics with her latest publication, “Spintronics for Achieving System-Level Energy-Efficient Logic,” in Nature Reviews Electrical Engineering.
Professor Vaibhav Bahadur Makes Key Contributions to Carbon Sequestration and Hydrates Research
Vaibhav Bahadur, Associate Professor in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Texas Materials Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, recently contributed to two high-impact publications in Applied Energy and Langmuir.
Wennie Wang Awarded 2025 Maria Goeppert Mayer Award
The American Physical Society (APS) has awarded Wennie Wang of the University of Texas at Austin the prestigious 2025 Maria Goeppert Mayer Award.
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Texas Materials Seminar Series
The Texas Materials Seminar Series features MSE 397 Seminars, TMI Distinguished Lectureships, and TMI Special Seminars, where leading faculty and professionals from around the world share cutting-edge innovations and advancements in materials engineering with our students.
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News
TMI Researchers Develop AI-Driven Platform to Design Advanced Thermal Materials
Researchers at the Texas Materials Institute, Dr. Yuebing Zheng and Dr. Kan Yao, along with other researchers from three additional universities, have developed a powerful new design platform that uses machine learning, computer simulations, and experimental testing to create next-generation thermal metamaterials. These materials are engineered to control how heat is emitted as light, with potential applications in energy efficiency, aerospace, and advanced electronics.
This new framework dramatically expands the possibilities for designing materials by exploring a much larger range of structures and material combinations than ever before. It enables precise control over how materials interact with light at the nanoscale, paving the way for scalable, real-world applications.
By combining artificial intelligence with a deep understanding of materials science, the team has created a flexible and general approach that could be applied to a wide variety of nanophotonic materials — including future innovations in colored emitters, optical devices, and even quantum technologies.
This work represents a major step forward in the field of inverse design, where desired material properties are used to guide the creation of entirely new materials from the ground up.
Read more of their article, "Ultrabroadband and band-selective thermal meta-emitters by machine learning," in Nature.
The Koo Research Group Presents at National Space and Missile Materials Symposium
The Koo Research Group recently went to the National Space and Missile Materials Symposium. The conference was held from June 23rd to 27th in Norfolk, VA. Attendees from the group included Professor Joseph H. Koo, lab manager Ben Rech, and graduate research assistants Samantha Bernstein, Steven Kim, and Akshar Mashruwala, and undergraduate research assistant Courtney Bui.
The group presented a total of six oral presentations and three posters on their research. Courtney Bui won second place in the Student Poster Award for her presentation on “Processing and Characterization of Rayon Carbon Fiber/Polysiloxane Composites for Aerospace Applications”. The conference was an excellent presentation and networking opportunity for the group, where discussions about thermal protection systems and ablative materials were myriad.
Guihua Yu Wins UAE’s Global Water Award
Texas Engineer Guihua Yu won the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award from the United Arab Emirates for his breakthrough work to provide clean, drinkable water using renewable solar energy.
Guihua Yu, a professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, Texas Materials Institute and UT Energy Institute, was selected as the sole winner in the Distinguished Researcher Award category of this year’s awards from the UAE.
Dr. Huiliang Wang Publishes in Nature Communications
Dr. Wang’s research group has made a significant contribution to the field of wearable neurotechnology with the publication of a research article in Nature Communications, one of the top journals in the field.
Stressed or Bored at Work? New Electronic Tattoo Can Help
In stressful jobs like air traffic control and medicine, a small miscalculation can have serious consequences. It’s critical to make sure these essential personnel are in the position to perform their best, and new research may make a big impact in that pursuit.
$12M+
In Grant Funding
20+
Research Patents
10K+
