mse – Materials Science & Engineering

Prof. McCormack Honored with Two Prestigious Awards in Ceramic Science

Prof. Scott McCormack received two distinguished awards this year recognizing his contributions to ceramic science and international collaboration. The Robert L. Coble Award for Young Scholars recognizes significant early-career research contributions to ceramic science, while the ECerS-ACerS Joint Young Professional Award honors contributions to fostering international collaboration between the European Ceramic Society and the American Ceramic Society.

Prof. Robert Ritchie’s group discovers new metal toughening mechanisms

In Prof. Ritchie’s own words, “High temperatures are always the holy grail. And people have been saying these high-entropy alloys are going to be the next generation material for extreme environments because they have remarkably high melting points, but previous versions are so brittle, they’re pretty hopeless. Now, we’ve made ductile versions of these alloys…

Prof. Kristin Persson awarded Pritzker Prize for AI in Science Research Excellence

Prof. Kristin Persson was recognized for pioneering data-driven materials design through first-principles computational methods and machine learning, and for founding and leading The Materials Project as a transformative global open-science resource. Persson has more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and over 82,000 citations. For her AI in science research, Kristin noted that “AI is not simply making an…

MSE seeks new faculty in AI for Materials

The University of California, Berkeley invites applications for an approved faculty position at the non-tenured (tenure-track) Assistant Professor level in the area of AI for Materials. This appointment will start as a 100% Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) appointment, with the appointee joining the Bakar Institute for Digital Materials for the Planet (BIDMaP) in the…

MSE seeks new faculty in electronic and functional materials

The University of California, Berkeley invites applications for an approved faculty position at either the non-tenured (tenure-track) Assistant Professor level or the tenured Associate Professor level in the area of Electronic, Functional, and Quantum Materials. Rank will be determined based on qualifications and experience. This appointment will be a joint 50% Materials Science and Engineering…

Prof. Ramesh has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng)

The Royal Academy of Engineering is the UK’s national academy of engineering, delivering public benefit from engineering excellence and technology innovation, providing progressive leadership for engineering and technology and independent expert advice to government in the UK and beyond, and bringing together an unrivalled community of leading businesspeople, entrepreneurs, innovators and…

MSE Alumni Celebrate Prof. Morris’s Career

On August 30, 2026, about 50 MSE alumni gathered in Hearst Memorial Mining Building to celebrate Prof. John “Bill” Morris’s remarkable career spanning more than 50 years at UC Berkeley. Alumni traveled from across the country to reconnect with one another and the MSE community and to share their memories and experiences with Prof.…

Berkeley Summer Academy of Science (BSAS) program 2026

Closing ceremony during Berkeley Summer Academy of Science (BSAS) program, hosted by GLOBE, at UC Berkeley’s Hearst Memorial Mining Building in Berkeley, Calif. on Friday, July 17, 2026. (Photo by Adam Lau/UC Berkeley Engineering) Berkeley Summer Academy of Science (previously known as the “Berkeley Summer Academy of Sustainability”) is an intensive 2-week high school program…

Biodegradable fabric research team led by Prof. Ting Xu awarded $10 million from Bezos Earth Fund

In a bold effort to address the growing challenge of textile waste in landfills, the Bezos Earth Fund has awarded $10 million to research led by Prof. Xu and team at UC Berkeley and Californian universities, to develop biodegradable fibers that can rival the strength and flexibility of natural materials. https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/04/24/uc-berkeley-led-biodegradable-fabric-research-awarded-10-million-from-bezos-earth-fund/

Prof. Kristin Persson elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

The Academy recognizes accomplished individuals and engages them in addressing the greatest challenges facing the U.S. Prof. Persson uses machine learning, experimental data and computational databases to design and create new materials for energy applications, such as highly efficient batteries, photovoltaics and catalysts. https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/04/24/seven-uc-berkeley-faculty-elected-to-the-american-academy-of-arts-and-sciences/