Research
The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) has a vibrant research environment motivated by our dedicated faculty. Our research programs are funded by many government agencies. In addition to the government, working with academia and industry is part of our focus. We have established large-scale collaborations with government agencies and industry including Rogers Corporation and Dow Chemical, Army Research Laboratory, and Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems.
Research activities at the department can be classified by research areas and by research centers. The department is focused within twelve disciplinary, interdisciplinary, and trans-disciplinary research themes strengthened by the wide range of MIE faculty expertise. Department faculty are leveraging Northeastern’s global network and Institutes to build strong research partnerships, these include the Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security – Burlington, MA, Roux Institute – Portland, MA, Institute for Experiential Robotics, Network Science Institute, Institute for Experiential AI, and Global Resilience Institute. The department also leads two research centers, including the Center for High Rate Nanomanufacturing and the Healthcare Systems Engineering Institute, both federally funded.
View faculty profiles to learn about their research, including work being conducted in their laboratories. Also, view our Annual Reports.
Recent News
Zheng Named Fellow of the American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers
MIE Associate Professor Yi Zheng was elevated to the grade of Fellow of the American Society of Thermal and Fluids Engineers (ASTFE) for his “advances in micro/nanoscale radiative heat transfer via functional energy materials and metamaterials, energy storage, and solar desalination for efficient, sustainable energy systems.”
Patent for New Tool to Improve Accuracy of Injectable Drug Delivery
MIE Professor Hongwei Sun was awarded a patent to develop a “Multifunctional micropillar-enabled acoustic wave viscometer.”
Why Rechargeable Batteries Break Down Over Time
MIE Assistant Professor Juner Zhu’s research on “Electrode strain dynamics in layered intercalation battery cathodes” was published in Science.
Optimizing Energy Absorption in Lattice Structures via Intermediate Stochasticity
MIE Assistant Professors Juner Zhu and Ruobing Bai published their research on “Exploring the Role of Stochasticity in Lattice Structures for Crush Energy Absorption Capabilities” in Thin-Walled Structures.