Mechanical Engineering

Research Areas

  • Energy Systems
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Micro/Nanotechnology (MEMS)
  • 2D Materials
  • Energy Harvesting (Conversion) and Storage
  • Micro and Nanoscale Engineering
  • Smart Materials and Structures
  • Quantum Materials
  • Quantum Photonics
  • Quantum Optics
  • Quantum Device Design
  • Optical Sensors

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 2017-
    • Facility Director, Imaging and Manipulation Facility, Molecular Foundry, LBNL (2011-2017)
    • Senior Scientist, Imaging and Manipulation Facility, Molecular Foundry, LBNL, 2016-2017
    • Staff Scientist, Imaging and Manipulation Facility, Molecular Foundry, LBNL, 2006-2016
  • Honors & Awards
    • Chair and Organizer of the 2023 Gordon Research Conference on UCNPs
    • 2023 Keynote Speaker, 20th International Conference on Luminescence (ICL)
    • 2021 Plenary Speaker, SPIE Optics + Photonics, San Diego, CA
    • 2019 Plenary Speaker, Ramanfest 2019, Oxford, UK
    • 2018 Keynote Speaker, UpCon 18
    • Selected to 2014 LBNL/Haas Business School Emerging Leader Program
    • 2013 LBNL Director’s Award for Exceptional Achievement
    • 2013 R&D Magazine’s “R&D 100” Awardee
    • 2003 NRC Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, NIST Boulder (declined)
    • 1998 Yale Applied Physics Special Fellowship
  • Education
    • PhD, Applied Physics, Yale University
    • MS, Applied Physics, Yale University
    • BA, Physics, U.C. Berkeley

Research Areas

  • Human Factors
  • Design of Displays and Controls
  • Robotics

Additional information

  • Professional Experience
    • Professor of Professional Practice, Columbia University, 2014–present
    • Astronaut, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1996-2014
    • Assistant Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1995-1996
    • Research Engineer, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, 1992-1995
  • Professional Affiliations
    • Explorers Club
    • Association of Space Explorers
  • Honors & Awards
    • Honorary Doctorate, Hofstra University, 2018
    • Columbia Community Impact Outstanding Community Service Award, 2017
    • NY Times Bestselling Author, 2016
    • Columbia Engineering School Alumni Association Egleston Medal, 2011
    • Star of the Italian Solidarity (Italian Knighthood), 2011
    • NASA Distinguished Service Medal, 2010
    • NASA Spaceflight Medal, 2002, 2009
  • Education
    • PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Engineer's Degree, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • MS, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • MS, Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • BS, Industrial Engineering, Columbia Engineering

Research Areas

  • Mechanobiology
  • Biomechanics
  • Cell and Tissue Engineering
  • Cell and Tissue Biomechanics
  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Mechanics
  • Soft Tissue Engineering
  • Thermodynamics
  • Computational Mechanics
  • Physical Chemistry

Additional information

  • Professional Experience
    • Andrew Walz Professor of Mechanical Engineering, 2013-
    • Chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2011-2014
    • Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 2002-
    • Vice-Chair of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 1999-2002
    • Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 1998–2002
    • Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 1996–2002
    • Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 1991-1996
  • Professional Affiliations
    • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
    • Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
    • Orthopedic Research Society (ORS)
    • Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI)
    • American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers (AIMBE)
    • U.S. National Committee on Biomechanics (USNCB)
  • Honors & Awards
    • H.R. Lissner Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2017
    • OARSI Basic Science Award, Osteoarthritis Research Society International, 2013
    • Columbia Engineering Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, 2012
    • Great Teacher Award, Society of Columbia Graduates, 2002
    • YC Fung Young Investigator Award, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1997
  • Education
    • PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University
    • MS, Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University
    • BS, Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University

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

Why Get your Master's in Mechanical Engineering at Columbia?

Columbia gives you a rigorous Ivy League education in the heart of a vibrant global city for an experience unlike any place else.

As a student here, you’ll find:

  • 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.
     
  • Inspiring Faculty
    Learn from faculty mentors who are leaders in the field. From winning patents for significant innovations to winning awards for excellence in teaching, your professors are a passionate, talented, diverse group of professionals who will help you to realize your full potential.
     
  • Customizable Program
    Complete the coursework that will propel you forward in your career. Create a unique program tailored to your goals or choose from one of our four strategic concentrations. 
     
  • 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.

See Full Program Details

Research Areas

  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Micro/Nanotechnology (MEMS)
  • 2D materials
  • Micro and Nanoscale Engineering
  • Nanoelectronics

Additional Information

  • Professional Affiliations
    • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
    • American Physical Society (APS)
    • Materials Research Society (MRS)
  • Honors & Awards
    • Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Materials Science, Clarivate, 2018-2024
    • Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Physics, Clarivate, 2014-2024
    • James P. McGroddy Prize for New Materials, American Physical Society, 2023
    • Fellow, American Physical Society, 2023
    • Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, Columbia Engineering Alumni Association, 2015
    • Society of Columbia Graduates Great Teacher Award, 2014
    • Millikan Fellowship in Experimental Condensed Matter Physics, Caltech, 2000
  • Professional Experience
    • Director, Columbia MRSEC, 2014-
    • Wang Fong-Jen Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 2015–
    • Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 2012-
    • Associate professor of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 2007-2012
    • Assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 2003-2007

Research Areas

  • Energy Systems
  • Building Design and Energy Conservation
  • Applied Control Systems

Additional information

  • Professional Experience
    • Senior Lecturer, Department of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, United Kingdom (2021-2022)
    • Lecturer, Department of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, United Kingdom (2017-2021)
  • Professional Affiliations
    • Board Member, International Building Performance and Simulation
    • Association (IBPSA) England Chapter (2021-2022)
    • Conference Chair, Building Simulation and Optimisation Conference 2022, Loughborough, England
    • Co-opted Board Member, IBPSA England Chapter (2019-2021)
  • Honors & Awards
    • UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Innovation Fellow (2018-2021)
    • US NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Fellow (2011-2014)
  • Education
    • PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University
    • MS, Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University
    • BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Nebraska Lincoln

Research Areas

  • Women's Health
  • Maternal Health
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mechanics
  • Biological Modeling
  • Biomechanics
  • Human-Centered Design
  • Mechanobiology

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • Associate professor of mechanical engineering, Columbia University, 2015–
    • Assistant professor of mechanical engineering, Columbia University, 2010–2015
  • Professional Affiliations
    • American Society of Mechanical Engineers
    • Society of Reproductive Investigators
  • Honors & Awards
    • Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from the White House, 2019
    • American Society of Mechanical Engineers Y.C. Fung Young Investigators Award, 2017
    • National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award, 2015
  • Education
    • PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institue of Technology
    • MS, Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institue of Technology
    • BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan

Research Areas

  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Mechanics
  • Biological Modeling
  • Biomechanics
  • Mechanobiology
  • Soft Tissue Engineering
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computational Modeling
  • Computational Sciences

Additional Information

  • Professional Experience
    • Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, 2020 -
    • Postdoctoral research associate, Pediatrics, Stanford University, 2015 - 2019
    • Postdoctoral research associate, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UC San Diego, Feb 2015 - June 2015
    • Engineer, GE India Technology Center, Bangalore, India, Dec 2009 - Aug 2010
    • CFD Engineer, Tridiagonal Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India, Aug 2009 - Dec 2009
  • Professional Affiliations
    • American Society of Mechanical Engineers
    • American Physical Society
    • American Heart Association
  • Honors & Awards
    • Theodore von Karman Fellowship, RWTH Aachen University, 2018.
    • CHRI Grant & Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford University, 2016-2017.
    • NSF-sponsored Young Investigator & Travel Award, 5th Engineering Frontiers Conference on Pediatrics and Congenital Heart Disease, Orlando, Florida 2016.
    • Gordon L. and Beatrice C. Bowles Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University, 2010.
    • IIT Kanpur Academic Excellence Award, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, 2009.
    • GE Foundation Scholar-Leader 2008.
  • Education
    • PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University
    • MTech, Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India
    • BTech, Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Trichy, India