Interdisciplinary at its core, the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern focuses on optimizing and solving real world global challenges such as healthcare systems, energy systems, and resilience systems. Through a holistic thinking approach and partnerships with industry, our faculty and students are creating solutions to an ever changing world.
Education and Research Excellence
Experiential learning is the heart of a Northeastern education and encompasses our co-op program as well as project-based learning, research, global experiences, service learning, and student organizations.
BS, MS, and PhD Degrees
A vibrant research enterprise spans 12 disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research themes addressing global challenges and includes partnerships, collaborations, and funding with industry, academia, and government agencies.
Addressing Global Challenges
Join our welcoming, inclusive, and exciting community! With programs across the Global University System, our department provides access to global experiential opportunities, regional hubs for high- and bio-tech interactions, top hospitals in the world, strong interconnected and intercultural communities for student organizations to engage with peers, and a network of faculty, alumni, and industry professionals.
Award-Winning, Active Student ClubsSpotlight Stories
DAIS Data Analytics Teaching Award
MIE Associate Teaching Professor Mohammad Dehghani received the Data Analytics & Information Systems (DAIS) Data Analytics Teaching Award from the DAIS division of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, the prime national society for industrial engineering.
Engineering in Action
Out of This World Experiences
Paige Butler, BS, mechanical engineering, shares how her involvement in the student group Students for the Exploration and Development of Space landed her two co-ops at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and subsequently, a full-time position following graduation. Learn how Northeastern University’s cooperative education program helps undergraduate students explore their passions while providing unparalleled opportunities for career advancement.
PhD Research for Impact
Conor Doyle, PhD, mechanical engineering, found a can-do culture and spirit of discovery in his program at Northeastern University. Testing and evaluating materials in Northeastern’s advanced lab facilities, he’s gained a hands-on skillset with applications for both research and industry.
Co-op Leads to Career Position at SpaceX
Ethan Flynn, BS, mechanical engineering, says co-op sets you up for the future. He completed three co-ops in his 4.5 years at Northeastern: Sikorsky working on Black Hawk helicopters, NASA JPL working on the Mars Rover 2020, and at SpaceX, which he converted to a full time position!
From Co-op to Full Time Job Offer—Before Graduation
Sharon Melul Steinfeld, BS, industrial engineering, and MS, engineering management, completed co-ops at Hasbro as a project engineer on the Transformer toy line, and at PriceWaterhouseCoopers as a management consultant for company mergers. Sharon got a full time job offer 18 months before graduating and contributes this to her co-op opportunities.
Recent News
New Robot Arm created to Help with Mundane Chores
Jakub Kowalewski, PhD, mechanical engineering, MIE Assistant Professor Jeffrey Lipton, and the Transformative Robotics Lab created a novel elephant trunk-like robot arm that has the torque power to clean dishes effectively using a mechanical system called a planetary gearbox.
MIE Faculty Leadership at the Winter Simulation Conference
Faculty from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) played a prominent leadership role at the 2025 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC), the leading international conference on simulation research and practice.
Powering the Future with Clean Hydrogen Innovation
MIE Associate Professor Yi Zheng has secured a $500,000 grant from ARCK Energy to lead a five-year multidisciplinary project focused on developing advanced proton exchange membranes to enhance the efficiency and durability of hydrogen fuel cells.
Industrial PhD Using AI to Optimize Healthcare Systems
Souri Sasanfar, currently pursuing a PhD in industrial engineering, recently completed an internship at Apploi, who creates a healthcare hiring program. This placement was possible by the LEADERs program, and Sasanfar reflects on the valuable skills learned from the course and how they were applied during her internship.