Mechanical Engineering

Overview

It is composed of 26 faculty members and roughly 90 graduate students. We offer both Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs with a large variety of research activities.

Innovative Research

Cutting-edge research activities by a young and energetic ME faculty span seven broad areas. They include energy processing, bio-applications, nano and microscale engineering, computation and design, materials properties and processing, multiphase flow and combustion, and air quality and fire engineering. Faculty directed research is sponsored by federal agencies (NSF, NIH, DOE, ARO, AFOSR, USDAFS, ONR, etc.), state agencies (Cal Trans, CIEE, UCTC, etc.), and industrial sponsors (Raytheon, Aeptec, Lockheed, W.M. Keck Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bourns Inc., etc.)

ME faculty participate in a wide range of college-wide and campus-wide research centres and initiatives. Various ME faculty are associated with the Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), which works closely with industry to transition to broad application technologies such as autonomous vehicles, biofuels, engines that use alternative fuels and computer models of highway air quality. ME faculty play a crucial role in the Winston Chung Energy Center, which focuses on the development of materials and devices for energy storage. Such technologies could dramatically increase the range of electric vehicles, enabling their widespread use with all its beneficial effects with respect of pollution and air quality. ME faculty also participate in the UC Riverside Stem Cell Center by developing devices for the precise manipulation of stem cells, thus offering new engineering tools to enable the development of regenerative medicine techniques. 

The ME department is seeking disciplined and creative graduate students to work with faculty on innovative research in a challenging, yet collaborative environment. Graduate students can earn a M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering at University of California, Riverside while taking part in an interdisciplinary program that is heavily engaged with campus colleges, system-wide research centers, other leading universities and industry leaders.