About

The Center for Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE) at MIT is one of a nation-wide network of Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). We have been part of the MRSEC program since 1994.

In November 2014, CMSE was awarded a new grant from the NSF to continue as part of the MRSEC program. This grant will provide up to six years of funding for CMSE research and education programs as well as for shared experimental facilities operations.
 
Community
The Center serves the broader MIT materials community, comprising approximately 160 faculty members from 13 different departments, labs, and centers, plus visiting scientists, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate students. The Center is supported by an administrative staff that includes a director, assistant director, education officer, financial administrator, facilities and safety coordinator, and two administrative assistants.
Mission

CMSE has a special mission: to foster collaborative interdisciplinary research and education in the fundamental science of materials and in the engineering of materials for specific applications. CMSE not only promotes collaboration among MIT faculty trained in different disciplines, but also between MIT researchers and the researchers of other universities, industry, and government and nonprofit laboratories. Collaborative research is encouraged through several mechanisms: Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), Initiative Projects, Shared Experimental Facilities (SEFs), and Outreach Programs.

Read more about the Center in our current annual report (PDF).

Read a synopsis of the MRSEC program (PDF).