mit mechanical engineering phd admissions

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When applying to graduate school at MIT, you are applying to a specific department. It’s important that you indicate on the application the degree and program that you wish to pursue. Your application is then evaluated by the appropriate department, and you are notified of the result. Even if your objective is to enter an interdepartmental program, you must still apply through one of the participating departments. All graduate students must have a primary affiliation with and be registered in a single department. DMSE offers two graduate degrees: Master of Science (SM) and Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Science (PhD/ScD).

DMSE graduate students can pursue three interdepartmental programs involving academic training and requirements outside the department: Archaeology and Archaeological Materials, Program in Polymers and Soft Matter, Technology and Policy Program, and Computational Science and Engineering.

How and When to Apply

Required information for your application.

In your application, you will provide the following information:

• Research field(s) of interest
• Personal information
• Names and e-mail addresses of three letter of recommendation writers. (We recommend that you notify your evaluators before October 1 to give them time to prepare and submit their evaluations by December 1 . Once you have submitted your online application, instructions to your evaluator will automatically be generated and emailed to them.)
• Scanned copies of your college transcripts
• For international students, your official TOEFL/IELTS scores (for more information, see “Other Application Information” section below)
• Application fee of $75
• Awards (List any prizes, fellowships, and honors that you have received.)
• Publications (List any technical publication that you have published or are preparing.)
• Presentations (List any talks, seminars, or other types of presentations that you have delivered at a scientific conference or similar events.)
• Research experience (List any research experience that you have had.)
• Teaching and work experience (List any teaching and relevant work experience—for example, internships—that you have had.)
• Other experience (List any other relevant experience that you have had, such as military, volunteering, or travel.)
• Why do you want to study material science and engineering? [150 words]
• Why are you a good fit for DMSE at MIT? [100 words]
• How does earning a graduate degree fit with your professional life goals? [150 words]
• Anything else you’d like to share. Please tell us anything else about yourself that you think we should know. (No word limit)

Application due December 1

Applications for the September admission to the SM or PhD program must be submitted using the online application portal by 23:59 EST December 1. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible and are responsible for ensuring that all admissions credentials are submitted on time. Your application will not be reviewed until all materials have been received.

Other Application Information

For international applicants: ielts/toefl exam or waiver, ielts/toefl exam.

For applicants whose primary language is not English, your IELTS or TOEFL exam scores are required. For IELTS, the minimum score required is 7. Send electronic scores to MIT Graduate Admissions. For TOEFL, the minimum score required for the internet-based test, or iBT, is 100; the minimum score required for the paper-based test, or PBT, is 600. The code for MIT is 3514; DMSE’s department code is 69.

Exam Requirement Waiver

Some students may qualify for a waiver of the IELTS/TOEFL requirement. Describe how you meet one of the following criteria.

• Are you a student who has attended elementary/secondary schools that provide instruction primarily in English?
• Are you a student who will have received an undergraduate degree from an institution that provides instruction primarily in English?
• Are you a student who has been in the US for three years and will have received a degree from a US institution before entering MIT?

Include a statement requesting the waiver in the supplemental materials page on the online application.

Application Fee Waiver

The Office of Graduate Education offers fee waivers for US citizens and US permanent residents who demonstrate financial hardship, are current or former members of the United States Armed Forces, or who have participated in special fellowship programs, including MIT-sponsored diversity programs (e.g., MIT Summer Research Program, CONVERGE). 

Early September

Application opens.

Completed applications are due.

December to February

Application review happens.

Interviews will be carried out by DMSE faculty members.

Late January to early February

Admission decisions are sent to candidates and invited to visit MIT.

Late February and early March

Admitted applicants visit MIT and the department during one of our visit days opportunities

Admitted students decisions are due.

Other Resources

• The  Council of Graduate Schools  offers helpful resources and information for students seeking graduate study.
• The DMSE Application Assistance Program is a volunteer-based, student-run program that provides assistance to DMSE applicants from underrepresented groups.

Frequently Asked Questions

Many questions are answered in this section. Before contacting MIT DMSE Graduate Academic Office concerning graduate admissions ( [email protected] ), please review the questions below.

Is the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) required?

Effective the Fall 2024 admissions cycle, the department will not accept GRE scores as supplementary material.

How will I know that you have received all of my application materials?

You will be notified by email when we receive your application. You will also be able to check the status of your application & supplemental materials via the online application. You will receive a final confirmation once all materials have been received and added to the application file (recommendation letters, transcripts, test scores). This confirmation will be sent before January 31. If, on January 31, you have not heard that the application is complete, please email the department.

Can you give me an idea of my chances for admission, based on scores or class rank, for example?

We can make no preliminary evaluation based on one or two qualifications. The Admissions Committee carefully reviews the entire application (recommendations, essay, grades, test scores, previous research experience, etc.) in making its decisions.

I don’t have an undergraduate background in materials science and engineering. Do I have any chance of being admitted?

Yes, while many of our admitted students have an undergraduate background in materials science and engineering, the remaining students have training in fields such as biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, physics, electrical engineering, or mechanical engineering.

Does DMSE admit its own undergraduate students to the graduate program?

Yes, we consider our own undergraduates for admission to all of our graduate programs.

Would it help my chances to send my application directly to a specific faculty member?

Admission decisions are made by a departmental committee. The decision is based on overall qualifications, independent of research interest. If you bypass the regular admissions route, you risk having your application misplaced. Please direct all admission related inquiries to  [email protected] .

Should I contact faculty members to try to secure a Research Assistantship before I’ve been admitted?

Students are urged to wait for official admission to DMSE before contacting faculty regarding research assistantships and thesis supervision.

What kind of funding is available to support students in the program?

A number of funding opportunities are available for graduates students at DMSE. These appointments pay tuition, a competitive stipend, and health insurance. Students are encouraged to apply for outside fellowships to help finance their graduate studies. Some domestic students are supported by NSF, NDSEG, Hertz, and Whitaker fellowships, as well as other government and corporate sources. Some international students are supported by their government or a scholarship agency (e.g., Samsung scholarship, ILJU, Royal Thai government) Kwanjeong Scholarship, Canadian NSERC.

Can I take courses on a part-time basis or as a visiting student?

The DMSE graduate program requires on-campus attendance at classes that are offered during the day and generally meet 2-3 times per week. Please refer to the  MIT Office of Graduate Admissions  for information about special student admissions and MIT advanced study program.

How long does it take to earn the doctoral degree at MIT DMSE?

DMSE graduate students normally take about 5 years to earn the PhD.

I already have a master’s degree. Can I apply it to the DMSE PhD requirements?

MIT has a qualifying procedure for the doctoral degree, so even though you have already earned a master of science degree at another institution, if you receive admission here, you would be admitted as a master of science degree student with the option to bypass the master’s degree and go directly into the doctoral program provided that you successfully pass the qualification procedure. Some students admitted in this category may choose to complete another master’s degree in DMSE before working on their doctoral  program.  Specific questions about transfer credits and other matters can be discussed with the Academic Office after admissions letters have been sent. Students applying to the PPSM or Archaeological Materials interdepartmental doctoral program should review those programs’ qualification procedure.

Can I visit DMSE?

Prospective applicants are welcome to visit MIT. You can arrange a tour of the campus through the MIT  Admissions Office . Admitted students are encouraged to visit on one of our two weekend-long visits (arrive Thursday early evening and depart Sunday morning) in March to become acquainted with the department, with MIT as a whole, and with Boston and Cambridge. Food and lodging are supplied as is part of the airfare.

Does DMSE have different admissions criteria for the master’s and PhD graduate programs?

The criteria for admissions is the same. The Admissions Committee does not make a distinction in the application evaluation process.

Do I need to complete the “Record of Subjects Taken” in the online application?

No. DMSE does not require applicants to complete the “Record of Subjects Taken” in the online application.

If admitted, can I defer my admission?

On rare occasions, deferral requests are approved for one year. Approved deferrals will only be for admission and not for any departmental financial aid award a student received upon admission. Applicants must contact the department to ask about a deferral before February 1.

Contact DMSE Admissions

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Graduate Academic Office Building 6, Room 107 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 [email protected]

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Regular Graduate Admissions

A regular graduate student is an individual who has been admitted to the Institute and who is registered for a program of advanced study and research leading to any of the post-baccalaureate degrees offered by MIT.

To be admitted as a regular graduate student, an applicant must normally have received a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a college, university, or technical school of acceptable standing. Applicants are evaluated by the department in which they propose to register on the basis of their prior performance and professional promise. These are evidenced by academic records, letters of evaluation from individuals familiar with the applicant's capabilities, and any other pertinent data furnished by the applicant. While high academic achievement does not guarantee admission, such achievement, or other persuasive evidence of professional promise, is expected.

A student registered in a program of study leading to the simultaneous award of the bachelor's degree and master's degree must apply for graduate study and be registered as a graduate student for at least one academic term (not the summer session) of their program of study.

Some engineering departments require students seeking a doctoral degree to qualify first for a master's degree.

Undergraduate Requirements for Advanced Degrees

In addition to preparation in the specific field of interest, most departments require significant work in mathematics and the physical sciences, but some require as little as a year of college-level work in these disciplines. Requirements of individual departments are described in their chapters of this catalog. Students with minor deficiencies in preparation may be admitted for graduate study; however, deficiencies in prerequisite or general or professional subjects must be made up before the student can proceed with graduate work dependent on them.

Application Procedures

Students normally begin graduate study in September. However, in select departments, suitable programs can be arranged for students entering in June or February. Prospective applicants should check with individual departments about their dates for admission and matriculation. Application deadlines vary by department. Deadlines are noted on the graduate admission application.

All applicants are required to apply online. Each department or program has its own online application with specific instructions. Department websites and application instructions may be found on the MIT Graduate Admissions website.

Inquiries about specific application and testing requirements, deadlines, and notification of decision for admission should be addressed to the appropriate graduate department or program.

International Graduate Admissions

Graduate student applicants who are citizens of countries other than the United States must have received a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a college, university, or technical institute of acceptable standing. The academic record and all credentials must indicate the ability of the candidate to complete the approved program of graduate study and research. Applicants are evaluated by the academic departments. Admission is granted on a competitive basis. Competence in written and spoken English is expected.

English Language Proficiency Test Requirements

All applicants whose first language is not English, including those currently enrolled in US institutions, must present evidence of their ability to carry on their studies in English.

Qualifying applicants must take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT), or the Cambridge English Test (Advanced or Proficiency test); refer to department information for specific testing requirements, which vary.

Students who have received instruction in English in their primary and secondary schools may be eligible for a waiver of the English proficiency exam requirement. Also, students who have been in residence in the United States, or in another country where English is an official language, for three years or longer and have received a degree from an accredited institution there where English is the primary language of instruction, may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement. In both cases, applicants may send a written request to the department or program to which they are applying, and should be prepared to provide verification of the institution’s language of instruction. If the applicant is admitted, the department or program will keep this information with the student’s records.

Please see Graduate Admissions for more information about considerations for international applicants.

Special Graduate Student Admissions

A special graduate student is one whose intended program of study is essentially graduate in nature but who is not a candidate for an advanced degree. Students holding a bachelor's degree or higher who are not currently enrolled in an MIT degree program and are interested in taking classes as a non-degree student at MIT must apply through MIT's Advanced Study Program . Deadlines for filing applications are May 1 for fall term and December 1 for spring term. The application and additional information may be found on the Advanced Study Program website.

Admission is valid only for one term; a student must seek readmission each term to continue at the Institute. Those applying for special graduate student status for the first time must pay an application fee. To be allowed to continue as a special graduate student, satisfactory academic performance must be maintained. Admission as a special graduate student does not imply any commitment toward an individual's admissibility to regular graduate student status

A student who is neither a United States citizen nor a United States Permanent Resident is considered an International Student. The form I-20 or DS-2019 will not be issued for subject registration of less than 36 units. Most subjects at MIT are either 9 or 12 units each. Detailed information about policies and procedures can be found at the Office of Graduate Education website.

Graduate Student Status for Research Staff Members

In view of their full-time responsibilities on assigned research and their corresponding salary scales, Institute research staff or employees of the Lincoln Laboratory or Draper may not be full-time regular graduate students, but may, under certain conditions, be granted the status of special graduate student. However, a research staff appointee or an employee of the Lincoln Laboratory or Draper who desires to work for an advanced degree must be admitted as a regular graduate student and must complete the residency and other requirements of the degree program to which the individual has been accepted. This individual may not continue to hold a research staff appointment, nor include any work completed while employed as part of the thesis for an advanced degree.

Any research staff appointee and any employee of the Lincoln Laboratory or Draper may, by written permission from the director of the division (or his or her designate), apply for admission as a special graduate student for enrollment in one subject only per term (but not thesis), either as a listener or for academic credit.

Acceptance for such enrollment will be granted if, in the opinion of the instructor, the individual is qualified to undertake the subject and if section size permits. For this type of enrollment, the student will be assigned to an appropriate registration officer and will pay, whether as a student or listener, the fee established at the special student rate.

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The PDF includes all information on this page and its related tabs. Subject (course) information includes any changes approved for the current academic year.

Frequently asked questions

We have answered many of the most common questions in the sections below..

Because of the decentralized nature of graduate admissions, most of these questions are answered in general terms and may not apply to all departments.

For specific department requirements, please visit the  degree programs  pages. If you have additional questions, please email [email protected] .

General Questions

Can i enroll in a part-time degree.

In most cases, no. Students must enroll full time to complete the required course of study. Programs geared toward working professionals, such as the Executive MBA program, may have greater flexibility.

Can I earn a degree online?

No. While MIT does offer some online learning opportunities, such as the MicroMasters credential programs offered by MITx, degree-granting programs must be completed on campus.

Can I visit MIT? Do you offer graduate tours?

MIT Graduate Admissions does not offer a dedicated tour or information sessions. Graduate applicants interested in visiting should contact the department or program of interest directly to see if arrangements can be made for a campus visit.

If you are interested in visiting MIT, the  Institute Events  office has created useful information to help you plan your visit. The MIT Welcome Center also offers campus tours, which you may sign up for online.

Do you offer financial aid, scholarships, or other sources of funding?

Yes. Please visit our Costs & Funding  section for further details.

Do you offer conditional admissions?

No. Only applicants who have met all the necessary requirements are admitted. However, all offers of admissions do come with certain conditions, such as immigration requirements, satisfactory undergraduate degree completion, or the provision of official documents, such as transcripts, for verification.

Can I apply to more than one department?

Yes. Applicants may apply to more than one department as long as they meet all of the application requirements, pay the required application fees, and submit separate applications by the required deadlines for each program.

Can I apply if I am an undocumented student?

Yes. Applicants to MIT graduate programs who have undocumented status are eligible to apply as international students, based on the same policy explained under the Undocumented Student section of the main Admissions Office website.

Can I transfer to an MIT graduate program?

No. Applicants must apply through the regular admissions process.

If I have a PhD from another institution, can I apply for a second PhD at MIT?

In most cases, no. Instead, applicants are encouraged to seek other postdoctoral opportunities.

Can applicants apply with three-year bachelor degrees received from India, Australia, or other countries?

In most cases, yes. Departments may have additional requirements beyond a bachelor degree, however.

Application Process

More information on the process of applying may be found at the Applications section of this website. Please keep in mind that each graduate program has its own unique set of requirements and deadlines; applicants can find more details on the application process for each program at the Degree Programs directory.

How much is the application fee?

The standard application fee is $75 per program. The MIT Sloan School of Management may have fees that range between $95 and $250 per program.

Do you offer an application fee waiver?

Yes. We offer application fee waivers to applicants who meet our requirements. For further information, please visit the Application Fee Waiver page.

Do you offer an application refund if I am not eligible for admission, withdraw my application, or receive a late fee waiver?

No. We do not offer refunds for any reason, except if a technical error occurs during the transaction process. A fee waiver will not be retroactively applied to an application that has been paid for and submitted. If you believe you were charged more than once, please contact our office.

Do you charge a deposit to hold my offer of admission?

Deposit guidelines differ by program. The MIT Sloan School of Management charges a deposit to secure your spot, but the amount may vary. Most other departments do not charge a deposit.

Where can I view the status of my application?

Applicants should log into their online application to view the most up to date information available. Some programs may provide status update via email during the review process. Applicants should not email to request an application status update.

When will I receive my admissions decision?

Admissions timelines differ across departments.  Many programs notify applicants between January and March, though notification timeframes from the MIT Sloan School of Management may vary.

Can I submit my letters of recommendation via Interfolio?

The online application used by the majority of graduate programs, GradApply, does not support direct integration with Interfolio; please follow the instructions provided within the application. Application features for the MIT Sloan School of Management or Mechanical Engineering department may vary.

Will my recommenders be notified to submit my letter of recommendation?

Applicants are responsible for notifying recommenders by utilizing the notification emails and links provided in the GradApply application. Application features for the MIT Sloan School of Management or Mechanical Engineering department may vary.

Will my recommender be able to submit my recommendation after the application deadline has passed?

Yes. Recommender links will remain active even after the GradApply application deadline. Application features for the MIT Sloan School of Management may vary.

Can I use the same login that I used in a previous year?

No. If the application window says “GradApply” in the top left corner, then you must create a new user name and login each year. Materials from your previous application will not be transferred.

Standardized Tests

More information regarding the Institute’s exam requirements for graduate admission may be found on the Standardized Tests webpage.

Does MIT accept the Duolingo English Test?

MIT Graduate Admissions does not accept Duolingo English Test scores to meet the language proficiency requirement. Applicants must submit official scores from the IELTS Academic exam, TOEFL iBT exam, or the C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency exams from Cambridge English. (Please note that the Cambridge English Qualification exams are only accepted by select departments, not all.)

Is there a preference for IELTS or TOEFL scores?

Most departments prefer IELTS exam scores. Please contact the program to which you wish to apply to confirm their requirements for English language proficiency exams.

Is there a deadline for me to submit official test scores?

It varies. Some departments may begin the review process using unofficial self-reported scores, while other departments may wait until all materials have been received. Please contact the program to which you wish to apply to confirm their application requirements.

Is the GRE required? Can I receive a waiver for the GRE?

Some departments no longer require official GRE scores for admission. However, if the GRE is required by the department, applicants cannot receive a waiver. Please confirm the GRE policy with the department or program that interests you.

Can I receive a waiver for the English language proficiency exam requirement?

It varies. Some departments may offer a language proficiency waiver if you meet certain requirements. Please visit the  Degree Programs page for further details on standardized test policies for each of our graduate programs.

If I apply to multiple programs, do I need to submit standardized test scores to each department separately?

No. Test scores are matched to your application electronically based on your name; department codes do not impact this matching process.

If you submit multiple applications, each program to which you applied will have access to your official test scores, with the exception of applications to the MIT Sloan School of Management. Test scores must be submitted to MIT Sloan separately.

Additional Questions

Can i apply for research internships.

No; research invitations are reserved for visiting students only. Please visit our section on Visiting Students to learn about potential opportunities.

Will special consideration be given to the academic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic?

In response to the challenges of teaching, learning, and assessing academic performance during the global Covid-19 pandemic, MIT has adopted the following principle:

MIT's admissions committees and offices for graduate and professional schools will take the significant disruptions of the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 into account when reviewing students' transcripts and other admissions materials as part of their regular practice of performing individualized, holistic reviews of each applicant. In particular, as we review applications now and in the future, we will respect decisions regarding the adoption of Pass/No Record (or Credit/No Credit or Pass/Fail) and other grading options during the period of Covid-19 disruptions, whether those decisions were made by institutions or by individual students. We also expect that the individual experiences of applicants will richly inform applications and, as such, they will be considered with the entirety of a student's record.

Ultimately, even in these challenging times, our goal remains to form graduate student cohorts that are collectively excellent and composed of outstanding individuals who will challenge and support one another.

Questions or concerns about this statement should be directed to the academic department or program to which you have applied.

Where can I learn more about the MIT Graduate Student Union?

On April 4-5, 2022, MIT’s RAs, TAs, and Instructor Gs voted to be represented by the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE) for the purposes of negotiating wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment. MIT leadership is committed to negotiating in good faith and to supporting all students, regardless of whether they are in the union. You can read more at the Graduate Student Unionization website .

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Advanced Manufacturing and Design Innovation @ MIT

In just 12 months the MIT Master of Engineering in Manufacturing (MEng) prepares you to not only assume professional leadership positions, but also provides you with the necessary skill set and confidence to affect transformative and innovative change within manufacturing industries.

To apply to the MEng program, you must apply to the  Mechanical Engineering Graduate program  and specify “Master of Engineering in Advanced Manufacturing and Design” on the application. Also, in addition to your statement of objectives, supplemental essays must be completed for your application to be considered. You must also submit a Mechanical Engineering application. Please visit the  MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering Graduate Office  to access the online application. Please visit our  Application Materials page  to review the list of required application materials. 

Applications will be accepted until December 15th.

Approximate Application-Process Timeline

• October through December 15th:  Applications are submitted by prospective students
• The Mechanical Engineering Graduate Office receives all submitted graduate applications and supplemental materials
• December 15th through early March:  Completed applications are circulated to and evaluated by the MEngM application committee members
• Mid-March through April 1:  Admission decisions are made by committee members
• Applicants are notified by email by the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Office of their admission status.
• April 15:  Deadline for applicants to accept or decline admission offer to MIT
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MEngM Blogs

The MEngM beyond the classroom as experienced by its students. Read their blog MEngM Engage >

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MEngM Admissions Process

In just 12 months the MIT Master of Engineering in Manufacturing (MEngM) prepares you to not only assume professional leadership positions, but also provides you with the necessary skill set and confidence to affect transformative and innovative change within manufacturing industries.

To apply to the MEngM program, you must apply to the Mechanical Engineering Graduate program and specify “Master of Engineering in Manufacturing” on the application. Also, in addition to your statement of objectives, supplemental essays must be completed for your application to be considered. you must also submit a Mechanical Engineering application. Please visit the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering Graduate Office to access the online application. Please visit our Application Materials page to review the list of required application materials.

Approximate Application-Process Timeline

• October through December 15th: Applications are submitted by prospective students
• The Mechanical Engineering Graduate Office receives all submitted graduate applications and supplemental materials
• December 15th through early March: Completed applications are circulated to and evaluated by the MEngM application committee members
• Mid-March through April 1: Admission decisions are made by committee members
• Applicants are notified by email by the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Office of their admission status.
• April 15: Deadline for applicants to accept or decline admission offer to MIT

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Thriving Stars helps answer the question, “What is a PhD degree and why do you want one?” Check out this story for a number of perspectives from EECS faculty leaders, EECS alumni and current graduate students working on their PhD degree: Thriving Stars tackles the question—what’s a PhD degree all about anyway??

The EECS Department is the largest in the School of Engineering with about 700 graduate students in the doctoral program. [Application is for the doctoral program only — there is no terminal masters degree, but all PhD students earn a masters degree as they work towards PhD.  A Masters of Engineering is only available for qualified MIT EECS undergraduates.] 

The application website (see link below) is available on September 15, 2022, for students who wish to apply for graduate admission in September 2023. The deadline for submitting completed applications is December 15, 2022.

Applicants to the MIT EECS graduate program should apply using the   EECS online admissions site . 

Questions not answered by the  FAQs ? Send inquiries to  [email protected] .

Need more information? Read  this graduate admissions information letter .

For information on our faculty and what they’re currently working on, take a look at our Faculty Interests Guide.

For more information about writing a statement of objectives, see this article from the MIT EECS Communication Lab .

Statement of Purpose for Graduate School

Criteria for success.

•   qualified for their program, and
• a good fit for their program’s focus and goals.
• You show a select group of skills and experiences that concisely convey your scientific accomplishments and interests.
• Your experiences are concrete and quantitative .
• Your personal statement is no more than 2 pages (less if you can, or if it is required by the school).

Structure Diagram

The graduate school Personal Statement (≈ Statement of Purpose ≈ Statement of Intent) is a document that complements your resume and application form, describing your profile in a narrative way and convincing the admission committee that you would be a good match for a particular department or program. Take into account that matching goes both ways: they should be interested in you, and you should be interested in them. Your personal statement should make this match clear.

Analyze Your Audience

Your personal statement will be read by a graduate committee – a handful of faculty from the program. They’re trying to determine if you will be a successful graduate student in their department and a successful scientist after you graduate. They are interested in your qualifications as a researcher, your career goals, and how your personality matches their labs and department.

The graduate committee probably reads hundreds of applications every year. To make it easy for them to figure out that you are a good fit, keep in mind the following suggestions:

• Make direct, concrete statements about your accomplishments and qualifications.
• Create a narrative that serves as a personal brand and helps them remember you.
• Give them some unique examples that describe you and make you stand out, and which will make them remember you as “that candidate that was so passionate about…” or “who has a lot of experience in…”, although they might not remember your name.
• Align your academic goals and motivations with specific research projects or research directions of the target department. 

Assessing your match to the target program

A key point on writing your Personal Statement is to demonstrate that you have done previous research about the program to which you’re applying, that you understand its characteristics and objectives, and that you are really interested in joining it and willing to do your best to be successful in it. To do this:

• Read the program’s website. Learn about its faculty members and the projects they are working on. Check what topics and high level goals the department is committed to. Identify the main research areas. 
• Get in contact with faculty and students in your target program. Browse recent publications and presentations but remember lab websites can be outdated and a publication may lag a few years behind the active research in a lab so pay attention to the motivation, direction, and methods of the faculty member over specific results. If you have had a positive discussion with someone at the department, you can include in your essay how those interactions confirmed that you would be a good match for the program.

Reflect before you start

To convince a graduate committee that you are ready for and excited about graduate school, first you need to be able to articulate this to yourself. Earnestly reflect on the following types of questions. A lack of authenticity is easy to detect. 

• Why do I want to go to graduate school? 
• How am I sure?
• Why will I be successful in graduate school?
• What can I do with the help of this degree that I couldn’t do before?
• Where do I want to be in a few years?
• How am I going to get there?

Create a personal narrative

Graduate programs invest in the professional and scientific growth of their students. Get the committee excited about investing in you by opening your essay with a brief portrait of what drives you as a scientist. What research directions are you passionate about, and why? What do you picture yourself doing in 10 years?

• E.g. “Graduate study is the first step towards my goal: I want to improve my ability as a researcher and gain more technical depth and breadth to maximize my impact. In the long term, I hope graduate school will better position me to be a leader in shaping the conversation about what problems can be addressed by mechanical engineers.”

Close your essay with a 2-3 sentence discussion of your long-term career interests. No one will hold you to this; this just helps your committee visualize your potential trajectory.

• E.g. “Above all else, a MIT PhD would help me achieve my long term career goal of becoming a professor, the position in which I can best see myself accomplishing my mission to show others the hidden beauty in everyday life through science.”

Connect your personal narrative to whichever degree you are applying to (be it research-based or course-work-based, or a Master of Science, Master of Engineering, or PhD). Especially in mechanical engineering, each of these degrees will enable different career trajectories and provide different educational opportunities. Articulate clearly why the degree you are applying for helps you achieve your goals. In the same vein, consider mutual benefit: what will you contribute to the academic community over your time at your target school? Remember, it all comes back to “qualified match” , no matter what level of degree you are applying for. 

Describe your experiences

Experiences are the “what” of your essay. They are the most efficient and easiest way to prove your capabilities to the admissions committee.

• What experiences led you to develop your skill set and passions ?
• Where have you demonstrated accomplishment, leadership, and collaboration?
• Show your depth with a range of experiences: research, teaching, relevant extracurriculars and leadership positions.
• State concrete achievements and outcomes like awards, discoveries, or publications, or projects completed.

Achievements need not be limited to research projects or publications. Think about all the experiences that demonstrate your ability to conduct research and succeed within the structure of your target program. (Where have you demonstrated creativity? Self sufficiency? Perseverance? What open ended problems have you tackled? What enabled you to succeed at them?)

Quantify your experiences to show concrete impact. How many people were on your team? How many protocols did you develop? How many people were in competition for an award? As a TA, how often did you meet with your students?

For each experience you include, focus on how the experience affected you. Describe your actions, and always direct the message to highlighting your performance and growth (not how important the company was or how well-known the professor you TAed for is). Remember, it is not an essay about science, it is a personal essay—about you and how you have positioned yourself to succeed in graduate school.

Explain the meaning of your experiences

Your goal in sharing your experiences is to demonstrate that you have the qualifications, qualities, and drive needed to succeed in graduate school. Therefore, you will need to not only choose experiences wisely but also state specifically what they mean within the context of your application.

• Why was this experience important to your growth as a scientist?
• What did you gain from or demonstrate during that experience?
• How will this make you a better grad student?

Even if it feels obvious to you, you need to explicitly answer these questions to your audience. Here are some examples experiences that have been expanded to contain meaning:

Contemplate how disparate activities can be unified into a common narrative about your motivations and achievements. Articulate this clearly to make your statement cohesive.

Demonstrate your match to the target program

Using the research you did to assess your chosen programs, clearly articulate why you are a match . Consider both directions of the match: not only why you want to go to the school, but also why you would fit in well and contribute to the program.

State which professors in the program you would be interested in working with. Demonstrate that you have done your homework regarding the program. Show how their research areas align with your background and your goals. If you have had conversations with students or professors in the program, be sure to include that as well. 

Common Pitfalls

Write about you , not your role models. One of the most common pitfalls we see in the Comm Lab is students writing touching Personal Statements about family members or role models who have inspired them. There is nothing wrong with including personal stories about people who have helped you understand yourself better, or positioned you to succeed in graduate school, but it is important to tread very carefully. Don’t leave the reader wondering why they are reading about someone else in a document that is meant to be about you. If you take time to talk about someone who positively affected you, make sure to be very clear about how that experience with that person molded you into a strong graduate school candidate.

Be judicious with childhood stories. A brief mention of some childhood experience that shaped your interests in STEM is probably okay, but if you talk about it at length (more than ~2 sentences), you are taking up space that should probably be used to talk about who you are today, not who you were over a decade ago.

Don’t simply restate your resume. Your Personal Statement should be a technical document (having evidence, numbers, and supporting facts) with personal outcomes (talking about your motivations, ambitions, and ability to succeed as a graduate student). Of course, you will reiterate parts of your resume in your Personal Statement , but what uniquely makes it a “Personal Statement” is the discussion of how those professional experiences affected you , as a researcher and person well-suited to the graduate program at X University.  

Insufficient quantification of your experiences. We are all scientists and engineers; our line of work is inherently quantitative. Quantification is a quick and easy way to add context, lend credence to your experiences, and impress the reader. Even little quantifications can help: “I spent two semesters working on a project about…” is much better than “I spent some time working on a project about…”. See more examples in the section on Experiences, above.

Being a great student and having an impressive resume is only half the battle when it comes to graduate school applications. You need to be able to communicate and convince the committee that your personality and particular set of skills and experiences are well-suited to the graduate program you are applying for. This extends beyond graduate school applications: as scientists and engineers, we write papers and technical reports to communicate with our peers and convince them that our work is meaningful.

By reading this article, you have recognized the value of communication and are well on your way to crafting an effective and powerful Personal Statement. This is your opportunity to make yourself shine among all the other candidates, so make it count! You can do it!

Acknowledgements : This content was adapted from the NSE and CEE Communication Labs’ CommKits for graduate applications.

Resources and Annotated Examples

Annotated example 1, annotated example 2.

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September 15 : CEE Application Portal Opens October 1 : Interdepartmental Program in Transportation Application Portal Opens December 1, 11:59 pm (EST) : CEE Application Portal Closes January 15, 11:59 pm (EST) : Interdepartmental Program in Transportation Application Portal Closes December 2 – February 15 : Faculty Review of CEE Applications January 16 – February 15 : Faculty review of Interdepartmental Program in Transportation Applications Week of March 1 : Decisions are released via the application portal Mid-March : Admitted Student Open House April 15 : Applicant Decision Deadline. MIT (like many schools, is a member of the  Council of Graduate Schools , which enforces this hard deadline)

General Admissions FAQs

Q. is there a minimum gpa requirement for admission to cee and the interdepartmental program in transportation.

A.  No, we don’t require a minimum GPA for admission. Institutions use different scales, criteria and methods to calculate GPA, making it difficult to define a minimum. Instead, we evaluate transcripts by focusing on the grades received in individual classes, especially those classes our faculty feel are relevant to your area of study.

Q. Is there a minimum GRE score for admission to CEE and the Interdepartmental Program in Transportation?

A. CEE will no longer require the GRE scores for admissions decisions.

The Interdepartmental Program in Transportation requires the GRE for the coming cycle, e.g. for entry year Fall 2024.

Institute code: 3514. Department code: 1102

Q. Is there a minimum English Language Exam score required for admission to CEE and the Interdepartmental Program in Transportation?

A. We require a minimum score of 7.5 on IELTS for admission to all of our graduate programs. On the TOEFL, we require a minimum score of 100 on the Internet-based exam. For the Cambridge English exam, we require a minimum score of 190.

Q. Who is required to submit an English Language Exam like IELTS or TOEFL?

A. If you are an international applicant and you do not meet the criteria for a waiver, you will be required to take the Cambridge English exam, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Q. What is the criteria for requesting a waiver for the English Language Exam?

A. You may request a waiver if either (1) English is your first language, or 2) English was the language of instruction for your undergraduate education or (3) if you scored above the CEE minimum Cambridge English, TOEFL, or IELTS score prior to entering a graduate program in the US. Please check the appropriate box in your application to request a waiver.

Q. Can I submit a supporting document after the deadline?

A.  We will accept letters of recommendation through mid-December, but updated statements, CVs and additional abstracts cannot be uploaded after the deadline. Please be sure the documents you provide initially are in final form.

Q. What is the cost of attending MIT for one year?

A.   For more detailed information regarding the cost of attendance, including specific costs for tuition and fees, books and supplies, housing and food as well as transportation, please visit Student Financial Services  website. Additionally, research oriented degrees in the department are funded via a Research Assistantship. More information on funding can be found here:  https://cee.mit.edu/graduate/graduate-funding/

Q. Can I have the application fee waived?

A.   Fee waivers are granted on a case-by-case basis, underrepresented minorities and first-generation students are encouraged to apply. You can find more information here:  http://gradadmissions.mit.edu/about/diversity-initiatives/fee-waiver

Q. Is there a specific format for letters of recommendation?

A.  The online application generates a URL that you will send to your letter writers. Instructions for the letter writers are provided through that link. You do not need to send a form to the recommenders.

Q. My recommender has not received my request email. What should I do?

A.  Ask your recommender to check his/her spam mailbox for the email you sent. If it’s not in the spam box, you can send the message again, using the link from your online application account. If you encounter technical difficulties, please write to application technical support for help.

General Admissions Process FAQs

Q. when will i find out if i’ve been admitted.

A.  Not all admissions decisions are made the same time. We make most decisions regarding admissions and funding mid-February to March 1. Applicants are notified of their status between March 1 and 15. Admitted students must accept or decline our offer of admission by April 15. This is the deadline for students to accept admission to most U.S. colleges and universities. (See the  Council of Graduate Schools  resolution for more information.)

Q. Can you evaluate my chances of admission before I apply?

A.  No, we don’t offer pre-application screening. One way to prescreen your own application is to investigate CEE faculty members’ areas of research to see how your background and professional goals fit. This can serve as an indicator of whether CEE is a good fit for you.

Q. Do I need an undergraduate degree in civil or environmental engineering to apply for the Master of Science program?

A.  Admissions to the SM and PhD programs do not require an undergraduate degree in engineering. However, the MEng degree does require a degree in engineering or a closely related field, but it does not have to be in civil or environmental engineering.

Q. Should I apply for a master’s or a PhD degree?

A.  In order to be admitted directly to the doctoral degree program in CEE, you must have completed a thesis-based master’s degree, either at MIT or another university. Otherwise, you will be admitted at the master’s level with the expectation that you’ll continue on for the PhD. After passing the doctoral qualifying exam, you and your research advisor will determine whether you should complete the master’s thesis (usually one additional semester) or transition directly into the PhD program. The master’s research often forms the basis of the PhD research.

Q. Is there a dual-degree graduate program in CEE and management?

A.  The two-year  MIT Leaders for Global Operations  (LGO) program offers both an SM in civil or environmental engineering and an MBA or SM from the MIT Sloan School of Management.  LGO’s program of study in CEE  offers tracks in energy and environment, transportation, and general CEE. LGO is designed for students with two or more years of work experience who aspire to leadership positions in the fields of manufacturing and operations.

Q. Should I contact a faculty member before I apply?

A.  If your research interests are a particularly good fit with those of a faculty member, it is acceptable and might be helpful for you to contact that faculty member directly before you apply for admission.

Q. Can I apply to more than one department?

A.  Yes. You will have to submit a separate application and fee to each department. The only exceptions are applications to our joint degree programs with Leaders for Global Operations or Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Q. Are there online or part-time degree programs?

A.  No, we do not offer online or part-time degree programs.

Q. Which subjects will be included in my degree program?

A.  For our research-based degree programs, students work with their advisor to determine a program of study that best suits the student’s research goals. A typical Doctoral program will consist of three core subjects and minimum of 5 additional subjects to further support the student’s research.

Questions for Prospective Advisors

For SM/PhD students, selection of a research advisor is a critical element of deciding on a graduate program. To aid in that process, we have put together a list of questions you might consider asking of a prospective research advisor, at MIT or elsewhere.

• What project areas are you anticipating in the coming year? Do you have specific topics in mind for a potential graduate student?
• What is the mix of computation, field, laboratory, theoretical that you work on?
• What is the process of identifying a thesis topic in your group?
• How would the first year unfold and how would that lead to a thesis proposal?
• How frequently do you meet with your advisees to discuss research progress? Do you typically meet with advisees one-on-one or in a group?
• Who would be my main point of contact for research questions and guidance? (e.g. faculty, postdoc, lab technician)
• Do your students go to conferences and present? How soon? How often?
• How are students funded in your group? (e.g. TAing, Research Assistantships, Fellowships). How do different funding sources impact day-to-day activities and responsibilities? Do you encourage students to apply for fellowships (even if you guarantee support through RA/TA funding)? Do your students contribute to writing grant applications?
• What do you think are the characteristics of a successful graduate student?

PhD Admissions

Main navigation.

Instructions for applying to the Stanford ME PhD Program are below.

Note for current Stanford MS students interested in adding a PhD program: please contact the ME Student Services Office about the necessary paperwork and relevant policies. If you are a current master's student in the Stanford Mechanical Engineering department, to apply for the PhD, you must complete paperwork prior to conferring the MS degree. Failure to do so will require an application through the online admissions process along with all other external applicants.

Application Deadlines

• Start Quarter:  Autumn 2024-2025 Application Date:  December 1, 2023
• Start Quarter:  Winter 2023-2024* Application Date:  October 23, 2023
• Start Quarter:  Spring 2023-2024* Application Date: January 29, 2024

*Students wishing to apply to the PhD program to start in Winter or Spring quarter must contact [email protected] directly first. Please do not start or submit a Winter or Spring application without first contacting our office.

Application Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the PhD program, applicants must:

• Have earned, or be in the process of earning, a BS degree in engineering, physics, or comparable science program. 
• Submit all application materials by the application deadline.
• Meet minimum TOEFL requirements, if applicable. Review the information on the Graduate Admissions website for more information. 

All students interested in pursuing a PhD in Mechanical Engineering must use the online Stanford Graduate Admissions Application . Your application must include all of the materials listed below and be received by Stanford by the application deadline. 

Required Application Documents

• Online Application
• Application fee

Statement of Purpose

• PhD Supplementary Information form (within application)
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• Unofficial transcripts from all colleges and/or universities attended for more than one year
• Official TOEFL scores, if applicable

The GRE will not be accepted for applications received through September 2024.  We ask that you do not submit or reference GRE scores in your application, as they will not be considered. (Updated July 2023)

Your Statement of Purpose should identify personal and professional goals. It should also discuss your development to date and your intentions regarding graduate study and life beyond Stanford. The ME Graduate Admissions Committee reads your Statement of Purpose with interest because, along with the letters of recommendation, it offers insight into who you are as an individual. Your Statement of Purpose should not exceed two pages in length, single spaced. 

PhD Supplementary Information form

The PhD Supplementary Information form within the application asks applicants to briefly address five prompts (1000 characters max):

• List up to three Stanford ME faculty members whose research interests overlap with your research interests and are potential PhD advisors. (Select from list)
• Briefly comment on your motivation for seeking a PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
• Briefly describe an activity (academic or not) that you initiated and involved independent inquiry, e.g. a technical project, or an extracurricular activity that you planned and executed. What did you learn?
• Briefly describe a situation in which you experienced failure, or a situation in which your beliefs were challenged. How did you handle the situation, and what did you learn?
• Briefly describe a time (or ongoing circumstances) that caused you to face a significant obstacle or experience adversity. How did you approach the situation?

Letters of Recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required -- one letter must come from an academic source, although we prefer at least two. If your background includes industry experience, involvement in leadership, public service, or entrepreneurial activities, you may wish to include one reference who can comment on that aspect of your experience. Recommendations must be submitted online. Please see the "Recommendations" section of the online application for more information. Please do not submit letters of recommendation through Interfolio.

Transcripts

You are required to upload unofficial copies of your transcripts or e-transcripts to the online application for all institutions you have attended for at least a year as a full-time student. Please  do not  send your official transcripts unless we contact you to do so.

TOEFL Scores

TOEFL results must be from an examination taken within 18 months of the application deadline. The Stanford institution code for ETS reporting is 4704. No department code is needed . For more information on TOEFL requirements, please see the Required Exams and Frequently Asked Questions sections on the Graduate Admissions website . 

Application Status Inquiries

After submitting the online application, applicants will have access to an online checklist which will track all required application materials. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are not able to confirm with individual applicants when documents have been received. All applicants should monitor the online checklist to track individual documents. It is the applicant's responsibility to monitor the checklist and ensure that all documents are received by the deadline. Please allow 2-6 weeks for application materials to be added to your application and appear in the checklist. 

Admission decisions will be released electronically by mid-late March. 

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The  Knight-Hennessy Scholars  program cultivates and supports a highly-engaged, multidisciplinary and multicultural community of graduate students from across Stanford University, and delivers a diverse collection of educational experiences, preparing graduates to address complex challenges facing the world. Knight-Hennessy Scholars participate in an experiential leadership development program known as the King Global Leadership Program and receive funding for up to three years of graduate study at Stanford. Two applications must be submitted separately; one to Knight-Hennessy by  October 6, 2021 , 1 pm PST, and one to the Stanford graduate degree program by its deadline. Visit  kh.stanford.edu  to learn more and apply.

The selection of PhD students admitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering is based on an individualized, holistic review of each application, including (but not limited to) the applicant's academic record, the letters of recommendation, the Statement of Purpose, personal qualities and characteristics, and past accomplishments. 

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Engineering In Action

Unlocking mRNA’s cancer-fighting potential

MIT spinout Strand Therapeutics has developed a new class of mRNA molecules that can sense where they are in the body, for more targeted and powerful treatments.

What if training your immune system to attack cancer cells was as easy as training it to fight Covid-19? Many people believe the technology behind some Covid-19 vaccines, messenger RNA, holds great promise for stimulating immune responses to cancer.

But using messenger RNA, or mRNA, to get the immune system to mount a prolonged and aggressive attack on cancer cells — while leaving healthy cells alone — has been a major challenge.

The MIT spinout Strand Therapeutics is attempting to solve that problem with an advanced class of mRNA molecules that are designed to sense what type of cells they encounter in the body and to express therapeutic proteins only once they have entered diseased cells.

“It’s about finding ways to deal with the signal-to-noise ratio, the signal being expression in the target tissue and the noise being expression in the non-target tissue,” Strand CEO Jacob Becraft PhD ’19 explains. “Our technology amplifies the signal to express more proteins for longer while at the same time effectively eliminating the mRNA’s off-target expression.”

Strand is set to begin its first clinical trial in April, which is testing a self-replicating mRNA molecule’s ability to express immune signals directly from a tumor, triggering the immune system to attack and kill the tumor cells directly. It’s also being tested as a possible improvement for existing treatments to a number of solid tumors.

As they work to commercialize its early innovations, Strand’s team is continuing to add capabilities to what it calls its “programmable medicines,” improving mRNA molecules’ ability to sense their environment and generate potent, targeted responses where they’re needed most.

“Self-replicating mRNA was the first thing that we pioneered when we were at MIT and in the first couple years at Strand,” Becraft says. “Now we’ve also moved into approaches like circular mRNAs, which allow each molecule of mRNA to express more of a protein for longer, potentially for weeks at a time. And the bigger our cell-type specific datasets become, the better we are at differentiating cell types, which makes these molecules so targeted we can have a higher level of safety at higher doses and create stronger treatments.”

Making mRNA smarter

Becraft got his first taste of MIT as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois when he secured a summer internship in the lab of MIT Institute Professor Bob Langer.

“That’s where I learned how lab research could be translated into spinout companies,” Becraft recalls.

The experience left enough of an impression on Becraft that he returned to MIT the next fall to earn his PhD, where he worked in the Synthetic Biology Center under professor of bioengineering and electrical engineering and computer science Ron Weiss. During that time, he collaborated with postdoc Tasuku Kitada to create genetic “switches” that could control protein expression in cells.

Becraft and Kitada realized their research could be the foundation of a company around 2017 and started spending time in the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. They also received support from  MIT Sandbox  and eventually worked with the Technology Licensing Office to establish Strand’s early intellectual property.

“We started by asking, where is the highest unmet need that also allows us to prove out the thesis of this technology? And where will this approach have therapeutic relevance that is a quantum leap forward from what anyone else is doing?” Becraft says. “The first place we looked was oncology.”

People have been working on cancer immunotherapy, which turns a patient’s immune system against cancer cells, for decades. Scientists in the field have developed drugs that produce some remarkable results in patients with aggressive, late-stage cancers. But most next-generation cancer immunotherapies are based on recombinant (lab-made) proteins that are difficult to deliver to specific targets in the body and don’t remain active for long enough to consistently create a durable response.

More recently, companies like Moderna, whose  founders also include MIT alumni , have pioneered the use of mRNAs to create proteins in cells. But to date, those mRNA molecules have not been able to change behavior based on the type of cells they enter, and don’t last for very long in the body.

“If you’re trying to engage the immune system with a tumor cell, the mRNA needs to be expressing from the tumor cell itself, and it needs to be expressing over a long period of time,” Becraft says. “Those challenges are hard to overcome with the first generation of mRNA technologies.”

Strand has developed what it calls the world’s first mRNA programming language that allows the company to specify the tissues its mRNAs express proteins in.

“We built a database that says, ‘Here are all of the different cells that the mRNA could be delivered to, and here are all of their microRNA signatures,’ and then we use computational tools and machine learning to differentiate the cells,” Becraft explains. “For instance, I need to make sure that the messenger RNA turns off when it's in the liver cell, and I need to make sure that it turns on when it's in a tumor cell or a T-cell.”

Strand also uses techniques like mRNA self-replication to create more durable protein expression and immune responses.

“The first versions of mRNA therapeutics, like the Covid-19 vaccines, just recapitulate how our body’s natural mRNAs work,” Becraft explains. “Natural mRNAs last for a few days, maybe less, and they express a single protein. They have no context-dependent actions. That means wherever the mRNA is delivered, it’s only going to express a molecule for a short period of time. That’s perfect for a vaccine, but it’s much more limiting when you want to create a protein that’s actually engaging in a biological process, like activating an immune response against a tumor that could take many days or weeks.”

Technology with broad potential

Strand’s first clinical trial is targeting solid tumors like melanoma and triple-negative breast cancer. The company is also actively developing mRNA therapies that could be used to treat blood cancers.

“We’ll be expanding into new areas as we continue to de-risk the translation of the science and create new technologies,” Becraft says.

Strand plans to partner with large pharmaceutical companies as well as investors to continue developing drugs. Further down the line, the founders believe future versions of its mRNA therapies could be used to treat a broad range of diseases.

“Our thesis is: amplified expression in specific, programmed target cells for long periods of time,” Becraft says. “That approach can be utilized for [immunotherapies like] CAR T-cell therapy, both in oncology and autoimmune conditions. There are also many diseases that require cell-type specific delivery and expression of proteins in treatment, everything from kidney disease to types of liver disease. We can envision our technology being used for all of that.”

Originally published in MIT News on March 27, 2024.

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Artificial reef designed by MIT engineers could protect marine life, reduce storm damage

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The beautiful, gnarled, nooked-and-crannied reefs that surround tropical islands serve as a marine refuge and natural buffer against stormy seas. But as the effects of climate change bleach and break down coral reefs around the world, and extreme weather events become more common, coastal communities are left increasingly vulnerable to frequent flooding and erosion.

An MIT team is now hoping to fortify coastlines with “architected” reefs — sustainable, offshore structures engineered to mimic the wave-buffering effects of natural reefs while also providing pockets for fish and other marine life.

The team’s reef design centers on a cylindrical structure surrounded by four rudder-like slats. The engineers found that when this structure stands up against a wave, it efficiently breaks the wave into turbulent jets that ultimately dissipate most of the wave’s total energy. The team has calculated that the new design could reduce as much wave energy as existing artificial reefs, using 10 times less material.

The researchers plan to fabricate each cylindrical structure from sustainable cement, which they would mold in a pattern of “voxels” that could be automatically assembled, and would provide pockets for fish to explore and other marine life to settle in. The cylinders could be connected to form a long, semipermeable wall, which the engineers could erect along a coastline, about half a mile from shore. Based on the team’s initial experiments with lab-scale prototypes, the architected reef could reduce the energy of incoming waves by more than 95 percent.

“This would be like a long wave-breaker,” says Michael Triantafyllou, the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Professor in Ocean Science and Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “If waves are 6 meters high coming toward this reef structure, they would be ultimately less than a meter high on the other side. So, this kills the impact of the waves, which could prevent erosion and flooding.”

Details of the architected reef design are reported today in a study appearing in the open-access journal PNAS Nexus . Triantafyllou’s MIT co-authors are Edvard Ronglan SM ’23; graduate students Alfonso Parra Rubio, Jose del Aguila Ferrandis, and Erik Strand; research scientists Patricia Maria Stathatou and Carolina Bastidas; and Professor Neil Gershenfeld, director of the Center for Bits and Atoms; along with Alexis Oliveira Da Silva at the Polytechnic Institute of Paris, Dixia Fan of Westlake University, and Jeffrey Gair Jr. of Scinetics, Inc.

Leveraging turbulence

Some regions have already erected artificial reefs to protect their coastlines from encroaching storms. These structures are typically sunken ships, retired oil and gas platforms, and even assembled configurations of concrete, metal, tires, and stones. However, there’s variability in the types of artificial reefs that are currently in place, and no standard for engineering such structures. What’s more, the designs that are deployed tend to have a low wave dissipation per unit volume of material used. That is, it takes a huge amount of material to break enough wave energy to adequately protect coastal communities.

The MIT team instead looked for ways to engineer an artificial reef that would efficiently dissipate wave energy with less material, while also providing a refuge for fish living along any vulnerable coast.

“Remember, natural coral reefs are only found in tropical waters,” says Triantafyllou, who is director of the MIT Sea Grant. “We cannot have these reefs, for instance, in Massachusetts. But architected reefs don’t depend on temperature, so they can be placed in any water, to protect more coastal areas.”

The new effort is the result of a collaboration between researchers in MIT Sea Grant, who developed the reef structure’s hydrodynamic design, and researchers at the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA), who worked to make the structure modular and easy to fabricate on location. The team’s architected reef design grew out of two seemingly unrelated problems. CBA researchers were developing ultralight cellular structures for the aerospace industry, while Sea Grant researchers were assessing the performance of blowout preventers in offshore oil structures — cylindrical valves that are used to seal off oil and gas wells and prevent them from leaking.

The team’s tests showed that the structure’s cylindrical arrangement generated a high amount of drag. In other words, the structure appeared to be especially efficient in dissipating high-force flows of oil and gas. They wondered: Could the same arrangement dissipate another type of flow, in ocean waves?

The researchers began to play with the general structure in simulations of water flow, tweaking its dimensions and adding certain elements to see whether and how waves changed as they crashed against each simulated design. This iterative process ultimately landed on an optimized geometry: a vertical cylinder flanked by four long slats, each attached to the cylinder in a way that leaves space for water to flow through the resulting structure. They found this setup essentially breaks up any incoming wave energy, causing parts of the wave-induced flow to spiral to the sides rather than crashing ahead.

“We’re leveraging this turbulence and these powerful jets to ultimately dissipate wave energy,” Ferrandis says.

Standing up to storms

Once the researchers identified an optimal wave-dissipating structure, they fabricated a laboratory-scale version of an architected reef made from a series of the cylindrical structures, which they 3D-printed from plastic. Each test cylinder measured about 1 foot wide and 4 feet tall. They assembled a number of cylinders, each spaced about a foot apart, to form a fence-like structure, which they then lowered into a wave tank at MIT. They then generated waves of various heights and measured them before and after passing through the architected reef.

“We saw the waves reduce substantially, as the reef destroyed their energy,” Triantafyllou says.

The team has also looked into making the structures more porous, and friendly to fish. They found that, rather than making each structure from a solid slab of plastic, they could use a more affordable and sustainable type of cement.

“We’ve worked with biologists to test the cement we intend to use, and it’s benign to fish, and ready to go,” he adds.

They identified an ideal pattern of “voxels,” or microstructures, that cement could be molded into, in order to fabricate the reefs while creating pockets in which fish could live. This voxel geometry resembles individual egg cartons, stacked end to end, and appears to not affect the structure’s overall wave-dissipating power.

“These voxels still maintain a big drag while allowing fish to move inside,” Ferrandis says.

The team is currently fabricating cement voxel structures and assembling them into a lab-scale architected reef, which they will test under various wave conditions. They envision that the voxel design could be modular, and scalable to any desired size, and easy to transport and install in various offshore locations. “Now we’re simulating actual sea patterns, and testing how these models will perform when we eventually have to deploy them,” says Anjali Sinha, a graduate student at MIT who recently joined the group.

Going forward, the team hopes to work with beach towns in Massachusetts to test the structures on a pilot scale.

“These test structures would not be small,” Triantafyllou emphasizes. “They would be about a mile long, and about 5 meters tall, and would cost something like 6 million dollars per mile. So it’s not cheap. But it could prevent billions of dollars in storm damage. And with climate change, protecting the coasts will become a big issue.”

This work was funded, in part, by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

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Nuclear Engineering Program Mechanical Engineering Department

Dr. Dean Wang, Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering, The Ohio State University, will give a talk entitled: "On the Smoothness of the Neutron Transport Solution and Its Implication on Numerical Convergence"

April 05, 2024.

@10:10 am, 6-051, VTRC, Arlington; 440 Goodwin Hall, Blacksburg. For remote access, register here.

Abstract Is neutron transport smooth? In this talk, we deal with the differential properties of the scalar flux defined over a two-dimensional bounded convex domain, as a solution to the integral neutron transport equation. Estimates for the derivatives of near the boundary of the domain are given based on Vainikko’s regularity theorem. The optimal pointwise error estimates in terms of the scalar flux are presented for the two classic finite difference methods: diamond difference (DD) and step difference (SD). Numerical results indicate the implication of the underlying solution smoothness on the numerical convergence behavior.

Bio Dr. Wang is an Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering Program at The Ohio State University. His research group focuses on development and application of advanced computational methods and algorithms for neutron transport, thermal hydraulics, and multi-physics coupling. Dr. Wang is currently leading a multi-year NASA project on Centrifugal Nuclear Thermal Rocket (CNTR) neutronics research. Dr. Wang received the 2011 ORNL Significant Event Award in recognition of his significant contribution to the support to DOE in response to the Fukushima Daiichi accident. Dr. Wang got his PhD in Reactor Physics and Fuel Management from MIT in 2003.

Associate Professor Kelly Sanders to Advise the White House on Clean Energy Policy

Sanders has been appointed 2024 assistant director for energy systems innovation at the white house..

Kelly Sanders, Dr. Teh Fu Yen Early Career Chair and associate professor in the USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering

From supplying net-zero electricity to tackling emissions from transportation, agriculture and heavy industry – President Biden’s goal to achieve a 50-52 percent drop in U.S. greenhouse gas pollution by 2030 (compared with 2005 levels) is undeniably ambitious.

The team at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is tasked with creating bold visions, unified strategies and effective, equitable programs for science and technology. The office provides advice to the President, federal departments and Congress, and engages with industry, other government agencies and academia.

Among the newest members of the office is Kelly Sanders , Dr. Teh Fu Yen Early Career Chair and associate professor in the USC Sonny Astani Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering , who has been appointed as the assistant director for energy systems innovation within OSTP’s Industrial Innovation team.

Sanders will apply her in-depth knowledge of energy systems to advance the government’s clean energy and economic priorities. She is working to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies that can facilitate the nation’s ambitious decarbonization goals.

It’s a daunting task, but nothing Sanders isn’t prepared for. Named in MIT Technology Review’s “35 Innovators Under 35” for her contributions to the energy field, recognized with an NSF Early CAREER award and regularly called upon by national media outlets to advise on current energy and climate issues, Sanders is something of an academic wunderkind. Back in her hometown of Washington D.C., she’s now working at the nexus of national policy.

We caught up with Sanders to chat about her duties, goals and what she loves about being a systems thinker; for Sanders, a connected world is a source of infinite fascination and potential for problem-solving.

Firstly, congratulations! What does your new role involve?

K.S: My role within OSTP is to advance climate change mitigation goals by advising on strategies to accelerate the adoption of early-stage clean energy and grid modernization technologies. I work within OSTP’s Industrial Innovation team because there are tight synergies between the Administration’s energy and industrial policies – for example, through President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act which facilitates national decarbonization strategies, as well as its CHIPS and Science Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which collectively make big investments in infrastructure and domestic manufacturing.

While I’ll be focusing on clean energy and electrification priorities, my work is always within the context of a broader suite of economic and social priorities. In addition to cultivating the development of new technologies, industries and infrastructure to bolster U.S. leadership and competitiveness across the global energy transition, I’ll also be addressing the question of how we support that global reach by building up U.S. manufacturing, investing in the domestic workforce, strengthening national security and preparing the grid to be resilient against the challenges imposed by climate change and extreme events.

What types of activities will you be engaged in at the day-to-day level?

K.S: My day-to-day tasks involve technical research, modeling and analysis, as well as synthesizing insights in reports, briefings and talking points for my OSTP team and other senior White House officials. Much of this work is focused on identifying the key technologies that could make a difference in achieving our clean energy goals, pinpointing the various hurdles that may be preventing these technologies from being integrated within the U.S. economy and strategizing how we might lower the barriers to entry. My role is very collaborative; each day, I am working with teams across the White House, other government agencies and the private sector to advance our goals.

Your position at OSTP is extremely competitive – what do you think made your application stand out?

K.S: I was honored to be put forward for the role and to be selected after multiple rounds of interviews. I would say that the highly interdisciplinary nature of my research makes me a fairly unconventional engineer, well suited to the broad-ranging policy priorities of OSTP’s Industrial Innovation team.

In short, I’m a systems thinker: I love to connect the dots. I’m fascinated by the fact that the energy system provides the backbone of the global economy. It impacts everything we do and care about: our quality of life, our personal finances, our national security, our relationship with other countries and geopolitics. It also affects our environment and climate, the area I have spent most of my career thinking about. The challenge of studying energy systems is that you can’t optimize any one of these factors in a vacuum – they’re all interconnected and the stakes are high.

This systemic outlook is inherent to civil and environmental engineering. Rather than selecting a narrow aperture and focusing on one technology or problem, we work best when we expand our vision and take account of the wider context: road networks, power networks, water networks and more. These systems permeate society and provide critical services.

This mentality prepares us to conceive of the embedded aspects of climate change and address problems at scale – it’s valuable training for a position like this, which requires deep knowledge as well as a breadth of understanding.

In what ways does the role at OSTP support your longer term research goals?

K.S: As academics, we don’t always get the chance to test our expertise within the context of real-world challenges and realities. There are forces beyond technology and economics that can hinder progress on climate priorities, which aren’t always accounted for in academic analysis. There can also be a delay in accessing information – we’re often sourcing from peer reviewed articles that can take months or years to publish findings. I’m excited to talk to experts across diverse domains, to have greater access to practitioners on the ground and to understand what goes on behind the scenes of the policy making process so that my research can be even more impactful.

When you’re in Washington D.C., you feel the spirit of the White House and the Capitol – you’re at the center of so much policymaking, so much history. To be part of that and to bring new knowledge and experience back to my students… It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Published on April 1st, 2024

Last updated on April 1st, 2024

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