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 Receives 2025 Top Ten Chinese American Outstanding Youth Award
MIE Associate Professor Yi Zheng was a recipient of the 2025 Top Ten Chinese American Outstanding Youth Award by the Los Angeles Post and the All-America Chinese Youth Federation in Los Angeles.
Patent for Origami-Inspired Morphing Wing Design
MIE Professor Moneesh Upmanyu was awarded a patent for “Variable morphing wing using surface actuated origami folds.”
Northeastern’s Boston Campus Hosts Inaugural Magnetics Workshop
The Inaugural NU Cross-College Magnetics Center Workshop, hosted at Northeastern’s Boston campus on May 7, 2025, brought together dozens of participants from the university’s Boston, Burlington, and Portland campuses.
New Computational Model Enables Alloy Design for Real Materials
MIE Professor Moneesh Upmanyu’s new research paper, “Solute-drag Forces From Short-time Equilibrium Fluctuations of Crystalline Interfaces,” was selected as an Editor’s Pick by the Journal of Applied Physics. He discovered a faster, cost-efficient, and more accurate computational model for alloy design of real materials.