Engineering Research

Chemical and biological engineering addresses a range of problems in human health, energy production, materials science and industrial processes. Areas of excellence at Princeton include: applied and computational mathematics, bioengineering, environmental and energy science and technology, materials synthesis and processing, process engineering and science, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, and transport phenomena.

Civil and environmental engineering research addresses fundamental questions associated with the built environment, the natural environment, and interactions between the two. Focus areas include design of civil engineering systems; water resources and the hydrologic cycle, civil engineering materials, environmental and structural monitoring; air quality and water quality; urban environments, including smart cities; the impacts of climate change on water resources and natural hazards; impacts of energy technology on the environment and structural art and design.

Princeton has been at the forefront of computing since Alan Turing, Alonzo Church and John von Neumann were among its residents. The department, now in a period of major growth, has strong groups in artificial intelligence and machine learning, theory, programming languages, graphics and vision, systems and networking, computer architecture, computational biology and neuroscience, security, privacy, and information technology policy.

Princeton's electrical and computer engineering program, started in 1889 as one of the first in the United States, remains at the forefront of the field, with research aimed at improving human health, energy and environmental systems, computing and communications, and security. Specific areas of research include the physics of semiconductors; electronic and optical devices; the design of computers and networks; materials science and nanotechnologies; algorithms and structures for information; and biological technologies.

Mechanical and aerospace engineers at Princeton have played leading roles in propulsion, combustion, fluid modeling and measurement, laser technology and materials, environmental science, and aerospace dynamics over the past half century. With ties to many other areas of science and engineering, MAE faculty also have a major impact in pollution and alternative fuels; energy use and storage; materials science; satellite technology and propulsion; stability and control of vehicles; aircraft performance; and instrumentation.

The Operations Research and Financial Engineering department's research, teaching and professional service focuses on the foundations of data science, probabilistic modeling, and optimal decision-making under uncertainty, with principal applications in communications, finance, energy and the environment, social, behavioral, physical and biological sciences, robotics and cyberphysical systems, social networks, and transportation.

The Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment supports a vibrant and expanding program of research and teaching in the areas of sustainable energy-technology development, energy efficiency, and environmental protection and remediation. A chief goal of the center is to translate fundamental knowledge into practical solutions that enable sustainable energy production and the protection of the environment and global climate from energy-related anthropogenic change.

The Center for Information Technology Policy is a nexus of expertise in technology, engineering, public policy and the social sciences. In keeping with the University tradition of service, the center's research, teaching and events address digital technologies as they interact with society. It produces leading research as well as practical demonstrations of issues at the crossroads of technology and policy. CITP integrates graduate and undergraduate students at all levels of its work, including an undergraduate certificate offered in cooperation with the Keller Center.

Princeton is one of the premier locations world-wide for materials science and education due to its unique integration of long-term, curiosity-driven research and high-impact innovation and engagement with industry. Research at the Princeton Materials Institute (PMI) pushes the boundaries of not only the performance of new materials but the fundamental knowledge that underlies future advances. The institute integrates academia and industry and educates the next generation of leaders in the field.

Kelsey Hatzell is working to develop new rechargeable batteries for solar powered orbital missions and missions to the surface of Mars.

A new method integrates genetic data from multiple slices taken from the same tissue sample, providing a 3-D view of healthy and diseased cells, including cancerous cells.

Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy gives students the opportunity to learn the workings of local, state and federal government in the Public Interest Technology Summer Fellowship program.