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Materials Science and
Engineering
Core Faculty
TMI's core faculty lead cutting-edge research by running their grants through the institute, fostering collaboration and resource sharing.
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Graduate Program
Our Materials Science and Engineering program is one of the best in the nation, and our graduates go on to be leaders in their fields.
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Research
TMI supports interdisciplinary research at UT Austin, with over 100 faculty focusing on clean energy, nanotechnology, and advanced materials using our state-of-the-art facilities.
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UT Austin Graduate Student Researchers Drive Innovation in Battery Manufacturing
High-performance batteries are at the core of modern technology, from electric vehicles to portable electronics. Producing these batteries at scale requires precise control, efficiency, and consistent quality. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, leveraging the resources and expertise of the Texas Materials Institute (TMI), are developing innovative solutions to address key challenges in battery manufacturing. Two recent studies, both published in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society, showcase this leadership.
TMI-Affiliated Faculty Contribute to Breakthrough in Multi-Material 3D Printing Published in Nature Materials
We are proud to highlight a major research achievement by TMI-affiliated faculty members Dr. Michael Cullinan, Dr. Benny D. Freeman, and Dr. Zacharia A. Page, who, along with other UT Austin researchers, recently published a paper in Nature Materials detailing a novel 3D printing process that enables the creation of multi-material structures with both hard and soft properties in a single object.
New Research Publication on Solid State Battery Enhancement Features Texas Materials Institute Researchers
A newly published article in Advanced Materials was co-authored by several researchers affiliated with the Texas Materials Institute, including Yixian Wang, Vikalp Raj, Rohit Raj, Hugo Celio, Andrei Dolocan, and TMI core faculty member David Mitlin, along with collaborators from across the field.
TMI-Affiliated Faculty Member Dr. Xiuling Li Receives IEEE Photonics Society Engineering Achievement Award
We are proud to share that Dr. Xiuling Li, Temple Foundation Endowed Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, has been selected as the recipient of the IEEE Photonics Society Engineering Achievement Award.
This prestigious award recognizes Dr. Li “for contributions to advanced semiconductor growth and processing technologies for photonic nanodevices.” Dr. Li is a globally recognized leader in semiconductor materials and device research. She currently serves as Director of the Microelectronics Research Center at UT Austin. Her groundbreaking work includes innovations in Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching (MacEtch), MOCVD-grown nanowire transistors, and self-rolled-up membrane (S-RuM) technology.
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Texas Materials Seminar Series
The Texas Materials Seminar Series features MSE 397 Seminars, TMI Distinguished Lectureships, and TMI Special Seminars, where leading faculty and professionals from around the world share cutting-edge innovations and advancements in materials engineering with our students.
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News
TMI Faculty Celebrated as Highly Cited Researchers in 2025
Seven faculty members who work with and in the Texas Materials Institute have been distinguished as Highly Cited Researchers for 2025 based on Clarivate's Web of Science Core Collection, a platform that provides reference and citation data from academic journals, conferences, and other documents across disciplines. Each Highly Cited Researcher has authored mulitple highly-cited papers and rank in the top 1% for their field and publication year.
Alexander Demkov elected as MRS Fellow
Dr. Alexander Demkov, a professor of Physics, an associate faculty member of the Oden Institute, and one of the Texas Materials Institute's Core Faculty, was elected as 1 of the 18 MRS Fellows for 2026.
MS&E Graduate Student Publishes on Connection Between Battery Use, Recharging, & Interface Flattening
Tushare Telmasre, a graduate student in the Materials Science & Engineering Program, has recently published an article in ECS Advances that explores the connection between battery usage, recharging, and the surface of the zinc anode. A student in Dr. Venkat Subramanian's lab, Telmasre, along with postdoctoral researcher Dr. Lubhani Mishra, and other UT researchers from the CMES Lab, the paper finds that how a battery is used and then recharged directly impacts the surface of the anode and dendrite growth.
AirGel Takes Top Prize and People’s Choice Award for Innovative Water-Harvesting Device
*Reposted from UT News*
Weixin Guan and Yaxuan Zhao, graduate researchers with the Texas Materials Institute and the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at UT’s Cockrell School of Engineering, were recognized for their innovative and cost-effective device, AirGel, which extracts drinking water from humidity in the air. Their invention also won the competition’s People’s Choice Award and received a USPTO Patent Acceleration Certificate from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
$2.5 Million Grant Awarded to Deji Akinwande for Wearable Health Technology
Dr. Deji Akinwande, a professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering department and an affiliate of TMI, was awarded a contract of up to $2.5 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a governmental agency aimed at funding research that supports biomedical and health breakthroughs. This award will help advance Dr. Akinwande's development of a wearable blood pressure monitoring system, a key vital sign for assessing cardiovascular health.
$12M+
In Grant Funding
20+
Research Patents
10K+
