We discover, design, and characterize
the advanced materials humanity needs.
At UC San Diego, we leverage our cross-disciplinary expertise to discover, design, and characterize advanced materials needed to address global societal challenges. Our materials work is relevant for developing zero- and low-carbon energy and transportation systems; cost-effective healthcare advances; solutions for natural-resource sustainability; and next-generation information technologies.
This work is grounded in our ability to control materials at the level of atoms and electrons.
Equally important, we are world-leaders in characterizing the structure and function of materials at the nanoscale level using a suite of cutting-edge analytical and theoretical tools, many of which we have developed here at UC San Diego.
Learn more on the "About" page.
Download the IMDD brochure.
About
At the UC San Diego Institute for Materials Discovery and Design (IMDD)
we discover, design, and characterize the advanced materials humanity needs.
Learn more about IMDD here.
In July 2020, we celebrated our first big IMDD win: we landed an $18 million NSR MRSEC grant.
Recent News
Living Materials Now Easier to Build with a Larger Palette of Ingredients
June 30, 2025
Sustainable materials—powered by sunlight and living microbes—that remove pollutants from water, release oxygen into a wound or heal themselves after damage could become simpler to create thanks to new research by a team of biologists and engineers at UC San Diego. Full Story
Nicole Steinmetz Awarded $2.6 Million NIH Grant for Cardiovascular Disease Research
January 7, 2025
Researchers led by chemical and nano engineering professor Nicole Steinmetz are developing vaccines for cardiovascular diseases that lead to stroke and heart attack. The project is supported by a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Full Story
Nanoengineers receive $5M in funding to use plant viruses to fight cancer and save cropsSeptember 18, 2024
Congratulations to UC San Diego chemical and nano engineering professor Nicole Steinmetz and her lab for bringing in over $5 million in new research funding this year to continue their work developing nanoparticles to fight cancer and save crops! These nanoparticles are engineered from a surprising ally: plant viruses. Full Story
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