Research

Michigan Tech faculty across all colleges and units contribute to evolving and translational research that drives new technologies and innovations in manufacturing. Research activity is robust at Michigan Tech, reflected by a more than 16 percent increase in expenditures over the past decade.

At Michigan Tech, manufacturing is everywhere

Michigan Tech faculty provide leading edge expertise in:

  • New material design and materials processing (MSEMAE, and PHY)
  • Chemical processing and synthesis (ChE and CHEM)
  • Concrete and transportation materials development (CEGE)
  • Microelectronics fabrication and controls technologies (ECE)
  • Manufacturing protocol (MAE and MMET)
  • Micro-manufacturing techniques for medical devices (BME)
  • Sustainable mining methodologies (GMES)
  • Forest biomaterials manufacturing (CFRES and MAE)
  • Responsible management of renewable and non-renewable natural resources, such as water (CEGE), minerals (GMESChE), and biologically-derived materials  (CFRES, BIOLBME)

Innovation in materials processing and development of functional materials is a Michigan Tech signature.

Metal molds with hot metal inside
Michigan Tech's foundry is not just for the benefit of students, it's also essential to innovation in the field of metalcasting.

Whether we’re developing new processing techniques or optimizing traditional operations, the goal is to improve performance and reliability while minimizing cost and energy consumption.

Pilot-scale production facilities supported by the Institute of Materials Processing (IMP) provides opportunities to develop and optimize new materials and processes at a scale rarely seen on university campuses nationally or internationally. Michigan Tech is a founding partner in the Leading Innovations for Technology (LIFT), one of the sixteen institutes that compose the National Network of Manufacturing Innovation known as Manufacturing USA.

The Michigan Tech Aerospace Engineering Center (MARC) leads the research and educational initiatives on campus as they relate to the conception, design and development of new materials and manufacturing methods for aerospace and demanding applications. MARC-associated faculty lead the NASA-sponsored Computational Development of Materials for Space Applications (US-COMP) Initiative. 

The Elizabeth and Richard Henes Center for Quantum Phenomena develop new materials and processes as revealed from the creative use of first principal concepts at the atomic scale.


Sustainability is the future.

Michigan Tech’s Sustainability Institute, recipient of an NSF-IGERT award, examines resource management, manufacturing decision-making, and reuse and recycling—critical factors in the development of modern manufacturing methodology.

Two researchers, one writing, one holding the 3D-printed ventilator
In response to COVID-19, Michigan Tech researchers developed an open-source 3D-printable ventilator that costs less than $170, making it affordable for replication around the world.
Students releasing underwater submersible
Students researching autonomous underwater vehicles release a robot off the docks of the Great Lakes Research Center.

Water is life.

Michigan Tech’s expertise in water resources and their use is as critical to manufacturing as it is to the planet. At our Great Lakes Research Center and across campus, innovative teams collaborate across boundaries, scales and disciplines to investigate and solve multifaceted issues.