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Focus Areas

Engineers in this field study the factors that cause materials to display certain properties, seek to improve existing materials, and search for new materials with enhanced properties that can be used in communications, biomedicine, and a host of other application areas.

Lehigh faculty are internationally renowned in this area, including specific expertise in microscopy as well as application areas such as optical engineering, metal forming, biomaterials, and polymer science.

Students in this area:

  • process and analyze ceramics, glasses, metals, alloys and polymers, as well as electronic and optical materials
  • characterize the mechanical, structural, chemical, optical and electrical properties of materials
  • apply materials to such issues as energy, life sciences, microelectronics and devices, large structures, telecommunications and homeland security.

Just up in size from the nanoscale is the microscale, where engineers work in microelectronics, applying advanced materials and technologies to integrated circuitry, communications networks, computers, and similar devices.