About Us

DMSE is home to the world’s premier program focused on materials science and engineering—the study of matter and how it is made. Our faculty, staff, and students undertake interdisciplinary materials projects that draw on fundamental sciences in pursuit of beneficial engineering solutions. From novel manufacturing methods to high-capacity batteries, their work has resulted in powerful discoveries and innovations that positively influence virtually every corner of society. 

• DMSE has been ranked the No. 1 materials science and engineering program by U.S. News and World Report and QS for 2025.
• DMSE has the most patents, licenses, and startups per faculty member of all MIT departments. Meet our faculty.
• DMSE is responsible for breathtaking innovation in energy and the environment, health and medicine, manufacturing and more. Learn about our impact on society and the world.

Our Community

DMSE is more than an academic department—it’s a community of people. Our faculty, researchers, students, and staff come together from around the world to learn, discover, and build the future of materials science. The snapshots below share who we are, where we come from, and the many paths our community takes after MIT.

Graduate students and postdocs

DMSE’s graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and research scientists form a global community, with representation from every continent except Antarctica. In 2025, DMSE includes 202 graduate students and 50 postdocs and research scientists.

A recent DMSE-led study, based on internal records and survey data from 412 PhD students and 363 postdocs and research scientists, highlights how our people shape the future of materials science and engineering. PhD alumni pursue careers as varied as the materials they study. Nearly half work in industry, applying their expertise to areas from sustainable energy systems to advanced electronics. Others contribute in academia, launch startups, advise as consultants or serve in government or national laboratories. Salaries reflect this demand: more than three-quarters of PhD alumni earn over $100,000 annually, with nearly a third exceeding $150,000.

Top destinations include MIT, Stanford, and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. Alumni also drive innovation in industry, at leading companies like Apple, Intel, and Meta, as well as new ventures such as Form Energy, a DMSE spinout. Learn more in our Innovation and Entrepreneurship section.

Postdoctoral alumni also make their mark across sectors: 59% continue in academia and 31% take their skills to industry, with the remainder founding startups, consulting, or working in national labs or government.

Across all these paths, one constant remains: the drive of DMSE people to use materials science and engineering to change the world for the better.