Everything is made of something.
Making a more sustainable and healthier world starts with imagining new materials. Everything from renewable energy to medical devices to consumer electronics can be advanced by improving the materials they are made from.
Our Programs
Studying the properties of materials and their applications is ideal for those who are excited to work at the forefront of industries like electronics, energy, and healthcare.
Strategic Areas of Research
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![Eric Dufresne Research image of Droplets]()
Bioinspired Materials and Systems
Bioinspired composites, engineered protein films for adhesion, lubrication and sensing applications, molecular tools for in-vitro and in-vivo imaging, and biomaterials for tissue engineering and drug delivery.
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![Andrej Singer Research Image of bright spectrum of colors across a rectangle]()
Electronics and Photonics
Oxide semiconductors, 3D integration, materials beyond silicon, high K and low K dielectrics, plasmonics, spintronics and multiferroics.
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![Research Image from Julia Dshemuchadse's group]()
Energy Production and Storage
Photocatalysis, photovoltaics, thermoelectrics, phononics, batteries and supercapacitors.
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![Crosspolarized microscope image of cholesterol acetate crystals with added quarter waveplate]()
Green Technologies
We have targeted green composites and new systems for CO2 capture and conversion as areas of future growth.
News Highlights
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SPROUT Awards cultivate early-stage engineering research
From designing a reversible male contraceptive to detecting life on distant ocean worlds, the latest Cornell Engineering SPROUT Awards are cultivating breakthroughs across medicine, space exploration, robotics and environmental sensing.
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Cornell Engineering celebrates Faculty Leadership Academy pilot cohort
Sixteen Cornell Engineering faculty members recently completed the Cornell Engineering’s first immersive Faculty Leadership Academy, a professional development pilot program designed to cultivate leadership skills among faculty members.
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Cornell emerges as a leader in semiconductor innovation
Gallox Semiconductors, a startup with Cornell Roots, won the 2025 Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge in the Advanced Computing & Electronics category. A member of the Praxis Center for Venture Development, Gallox is one of several semiconductor startups launched at Cornell.
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Never lose your sense of wonder: Advice for the Class of 2025
Lara Estroff, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Herbert Fisk Johnson Professor of Industrial Chemistry, delivered the following remarks at her department’s graduation ceremony on May 24, 2025.
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Students and alumni honored at tenth annual Distinguished Awards Gala
The 10th Annual Materials Science and Engineering Distinguished Awards Gala at Cornell was brimming with community and research. During a reception and poster session held on May 9th at Willard Straight Hall, students presented their research to industry partners, faculty, and peers.
