Materials Science and Engineering Research Centers

Maryland NanoCenter

When materials and structures are created and engineered at the nanometer scale approaching atomic dimensions they can display fundamentally new properties and behavior as a direct result of their small size. Research in nanoscale science and engineering is unveiling new worlds of ideas and applications, as well as promoting advances in miniaturization. The Maryland NanoCenter brings together cross-disciplinary groups of outstanding scientists and engineers to advance the frontiers of science and to develop nanotechnologies which improve our world. Learn more about the Maryland Nanocenter »

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC)

The MRSEC is a major program of the National Science Foundation's Division of Materials Research (DMR) to advance materials research. The MRSEC on the Maryland campus is a collaboration between the University of Maryland and Rutgers University that carries out nationally recognized fundamental research on surfaces and interfaces of materials with potential impact on the next generation of opto- and nano-electronic devices, and on complex oxides with potential applications in memory, switches and sensors. The MRSEC is driven at Maryland by a close partnership between the Department of Physics and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, with primary research thrusts in Independent Research Groups:

IRG 1: Low-Dimensional Interfaces (Leader: Ellen Williams)
The goal of this research program is to understand and exploit the special statistical and low-dimensional characteristics of junctions between ultra-thin films of electro-optic and nano-electronic materials to create novel device properties.

IRG 2: Multifunctional Magnetic Oxides (Leader: Dennis Drew)
This IRG uses state of the art growth techniques, a comprehensive range of characterization tools and advanced theoretical analysis to understand the fundamental processes in multiferroic magnetic oxides, and develops and tests device concepts for their exploitation.

Current SEED Programs

Magnetic Imaging: In-situ Devices and Novel Imaging Methods (John Cumings, Oded Rabin, H. Dennis Drew, Sang-Wook Cheong)
Materials Research for Template-Directed Nanostructure Assembly (Gary Rubloff and Sang Bok Lee)
Modeling Elastic Effects on Crystal Surfaces (Dionisios Margetis)

2005-2007 SEED Programs

Diffusion and Wettability in Porous Nanoparticles (Douglas English,
Sheryl Ehrman, Lyle Isaacs and Michael Zachariah)
Template Synthesis of Nanowire/Nanotube Heterostructures (Sang Bok Lee)
Spin and Spin Coherence Dynamics of Tunable Electrochemically Synthesized Nanostructures (Min Ouyang)

Participating faculty from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering include R. Phaneuf, L. Salamanca-Riba, I. Takeuchi, and L. Martinez-Miranda. The MRSEC also supports a service-learning-based K-12 education outreach effort that includes summer science programs for middle school girls and hands-on math and science student programs. Learn more about MRSEC »

The Center for Nanophysics and Advanced Materials (CNAM)

The Center for Nanophysics and Advanced Materials supports cutting-edge theoretical and experimental research in Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Maryland. CNAM researchers are working on topics ranging from the search for new materials with new physical properties to the design of new electronic devices that work on new physical principles. The research done today in CNAM will have an impact on the technological challenges of tomorrow, from high-speed computing to energy generation, storage, and transfer. CNAM provides an exciting, collaborative environment for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to receive excellent training for careers in science and technology. Learn more about CNAM »

Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics (IREAP)

The Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics (IREAP) is a permanent Institute at the University of Maryland, formerly the Institute for Plasma Research. It is a joint Institute combining the A. J. Clark School of Engineering and the College of Computer, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences. Its research portfolio encompasses plasma processing of materials and the diagnostic techniques to infer fundamental mechanisms as well as to advance industrial applications, along with a variety of fundamental plasma physics research programs. MSE faculty member G. S. Oehrlein holds a joint appointment in IREAP. Learn more about IREAP »

Institute for Systems Research (ISR)

The Institute for Systems Research (ISR) was established as a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center in 1985 at Maryland and Harvard, and it later received permanent Institute status from the State of Maryland. The Institute for Systems Research develops, applies and teaches advanced methodologies of design and analysis to solve complex, hierarchical, heterogeneous and dynamic problems of engineering technology and systems for industry and government. MSE faculty member G. W. Rubloff served as ISR Director from 1996-2001. He and R. Ramesh maintain appointments in ISR. Learn more about ISR »

Additional Resources