Author Archives: jason
MIT graduate engineering and business programs ranked highly by U.S. News for 2026-27
U.S. News and World Report has again placed MIT’s graduate program in engineering at the top of its annual rankings, released today. The Institute has held the No. 1…
MIT researchers use AI to uncover atomic defects in materials
In biology, defects are generally bad. But in materials science, defects can be intentionally tuned to give materials useful new properties. Today, atomic-scale defects are carefully introduced during…
Light-activated gel could transform wearables, soft robotics, and more
Consider the chief difference between living systems and electronics: the first is generally soft and squishy, while the latter is hard and rigid. Now, in work that could…
Why solid-state batteries keep short-circuiting
Batteries that use solid metal as their charge-carrying electrolyte could potentially be a safer and far more energy-dense alternative to lithium-ion batteries. However, these solid-state batteries have been…
QS World University Rankings rates MIT No. 1 in 12 subjects for 2026
QS World University Rankings has placed MIT in the No. 1 spot in 12 subject areas for 2026, the organization announced today.The Institute received a No. 1 ranking…
Frances Ross is elected to the National Academy of Engineering
Frances Ross, the TDK Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering’s Class of 2026. Ross is renowned as a pioneer…
MIT Technology Review: AI-driven labs aim to accelerate materials discovery
Lila Sciences, a startup co-founded by Rafael Gómez-Bombarelli, is at the forefront of efforts to use AI-directed, automated laboratories to plan, run, and analyze experiments—aiming to dramatically accelerate…
DMSE senior turns fish scales into biodegradable plastic
Sometimes the answers to seemingly intractable environmental problems are found in nature itself. Take the growing challenge of plastic waste. Jacqueline Prawira, a senior in the Department of Materials…
New approach could be key to faster, more energy-efficient computing and communications
The future of digital computing and communications will involve both electronics—manipulating data with electricity—and photonics, or doing the same with light. Together the two could allow exponentially more…
New system dramatically speeds the search for polymer materials
Scientists often seek new materials derived from polymers. Rather than starting a polymer search from scratch, they save time and money by blending existing polymers to achieve desired…