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.

 

 

 

Recent News


Living Materials Now Easier to Build with a Larger Palette of Ingredients

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

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 crops

Nanoengineers receive $5M in funding to use plant viruses to fight cancer and save crops

September 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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