Mechanical Engineering

Why Earn your PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Columbia?

Columbia gives you a rigorous Ivy League education in the heart of a vibrant global city for unmatched opportunities and impact.

As a student, you’ll benefit from:

  • New York City
    Join top talent in one of the world’s most exciting and influential cities. Students choose Columbia Engineering over MIT, Berkeley, and others because of the New York City ecosystem of research and enterprise that can’t be found anywhere else. 
     
  • Unparalleled Opportunities for Research
    Join faculty in advanced research projects at the forefront of mechanical engineering. Current areas of departmental focus include controls and robotics, energy and micropower generation, fluid mechanics, heat/mass transfer, mechanics of materials, manufacturing, material processing, microelectromechanical systems, nanotechnology, and orthopedic biomechanics.
     
  • Unique Multidisciplinary Environment
    Gain inspiration and insights from other areas of knowledge both within the College of Engineering and beyond. The department collaborates closely with other departments and centers of interdisciplinary research including Columbia University Medical Center and the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center.
     
  • Columbia University
    With a PhD from Columbia, you’ll join one of the world’s most international, accomplished networks of researchers and alumni. Your Ivy League credential will open doors wherever you go and the relationships you build here will accelerate your career.

See Full Program Details

Research Areas

  • Neuroengineering
  • Mechanobiology
  • Biomechanics
  • Medical Devices and Systems
  • Medical Robotics
  • Rehabilitation Engineering
  • Brain-Machine Interfaces
  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Wearable Devices
  • Mechanics
  • Mechatronics
  • Robotics and Control Systems
  • Human-Centered Design
  • Human-Centered Robotics
  • Movement Control
  • Rehabilitation Engineering
  • Robotics and Automation

Additional Information

  • Professional Affiliations
    • American Society of Mechanical Engineers
    • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
    • American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering
  • Honors & Awards
    • Machine Design Award, ASME, 2016
    • Robotics and Mechanisms Award, ASME, 2016
    • Fellow of AIMBE, 2016
    • Alexander von Humboldt Foundation U.S. Senior Scientist Award, Germany, 2007
    • Fellow of ASME, 2004
    • Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, 2002
    • The Presidential Faculty Fellow Award, The White House, 1994
    • Fritz and Dolores Russ Research Award, Ohio University, 1994
    • Best All Rounder Student Gold Medal, IIT, Kanpur, 1984
  • Professional Experience
    • Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 2013-
    • Professor of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University, 2013-
    • Visiting Professor, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, 11/2016-5/2017
    • Visiting Professor, University of Ulster, 4/2013-12/2015
    • Visiting Professor, Hanyang University, 8/2009-7/2013
    • Visiting Professor, Technical University of Stuttgart, 6/2008-8/2008
    • Visiting Professor, Technical University of Darmstadt, 6/2003-8/2003
    • Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, 1996-2012

Research Areas

  • Mechanics of materials
  • Molecular and nanomechanics of human-made and natural polymers
  • Soft composites
  • Natural materials
  • Bio-inspired materials

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • Provost of Columbia University, 2021–2023
    • Dean of Engineering, Columbia University, 2013–2021
    • Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor of Engineering, Columbia University, 2013–2021
    • Ford Professor of Engineering, MIT, 2011–2013
    • Gail E. Kendall (1978) Professor of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2000–2011
    • Department Head of Mechanical Engineering, MIT, 2008–2013
    • Joined the MIT faculty, 1987
  • Professional Affiliations
    • American Society of Mechanical Engineers
    • American Academy of Mechanics
    • National Academy of Engineering
  • Honors & Awards
    • Timoshenko Medal, 2020
    • Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
    • Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
    • Fellow, American Academy of Mechanics
    • Member, National Academy of Engineering
    • Engineering Science Medal, Society of Engineering Science, 2015
    • Honorary Professor, Zhejiang University, 2015
    • MacVicar Faculty Fellow, MIT
    • Joseph Henry Keenan Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching Award, MIT
    • ASME Special Achievement Award for Young Investigator in Applied Mechanics, 1998
    • Dupont Young Faculty Award, 1992–1995
    • ALCOA Foundation Award
    • National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, 1991

Additional Information

  • Research Areas
    • Design and Manufacturing
    • Manufacturing & Fabrication
    • Mechanics
    • Biomechanics
  • Professional Experience
    • Lecturer in Discipline, Columbia University, 2013–present
    • Swanson Fellow Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Bucknell University, 2009–2013
  • Professional Affiliations
    • American Society of Mechanical Engineers
    • Materials Research Society
    • SPIE – The International Society for Optics and Photonics
  • Education
    • PhD, Electrical Engineering, Columbia University
    • MS, Electrical Engineering, Columbia University
    • Dipl. Eng. Aerospace Engineering, University of Belgrade