How Sea Stars Build Materials That Can See News / July 6, 2026 When engineers think about protective materials, like those used in packaging and support, they usually think about strength, stiffness and durability. But what if those same materials could also sense their external environment? That question emerged unexpectedly for Ling Li, Associate Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, when his lab... Read More
Eric Stach Named Chair of Materials Science and Engineering News / June 29, 2026 Eric Stach has been named Chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). He is the Robert D. Bent Professor of Engineering in MSE and an internationally recognized leader in materials characterization and electron microscopy, with interests focused on developing and applying electron microscopy techniques to solve a... Read More
From Lab to Launch: How Vanessa Chan Is Training Ph.D. Engineers for Real-World Impact News / June 4, 2026 EAS5500: Applying Your Thesis to the Real World is helping Penn Engineering Ph.D. students bridge the gap between research and impact. Through industry mentorship, commercialization training, and real-world networking, students learn how to turn breakthrough technologies into solutions that reach the market. Read More
How To Build a Career in the Age of AI News / May 15, 2026 Penn career advisor Jamie Grant explains how soon-to-be graduates can use AI to augment their skills, demonstrate their value and navigate a changing job market. Read More
Solving Real-World Problems at Penn Engineering Senior Design News / May 11, 2026 At the 2026 Senior Design Project Competition, student teams presented projects tackling health, accessibility, climate control and more. Read More
Penn FoQuS 2026 Advances Quantum Connections News / May 7, 2026 The third annual Penn Forum on Quantum Systems (Penn FoQuS 2026), hosted by Penn Engineering’s Center for Quantum Information, Engineering, Science and Technology (QUIEST), drew nearly 200 researchers, students and industry leaders to the Singh Center for Nanotechnology on April 20, 2026, marking the event’s largest and most institutionally diverse... Read More
AI Method Tackles One of Science’s Hardest Math Problems News / May 1, 2026 Penn Engineers have developed a new way to use AI to solve inverse partial differential equations (PDEs), a particularly challenging class of mathematical problems with broad implications for understanding the natural world. The advance, which the researchers call “Mollifier Layers,” could benefit fields as varied as genetics and weather forecasting,... Read More
Tiny, Knotted Robots Jump, Fly and Plant Seeds News / April 23, 2026 A knotted fiber that snaps itself open can launch like a spring. By combining Kevlar and liquid crystal elastomers, researchers created tiny soft robots that jump, spin and even plant seeds. Their motion is programmed through knot design and triggered by heat, offering a new approach to autonomous systems. Read More
The 2026 Penn Engineering Student Choice Awards News / April 20, 2026 Penn Engineering is pleased to announce the faculty recipients of the 2026 Student Choice Awards. Each year, the Penn Engineering undergraduate student body thoughtfully selects the recipients of these awards for their dedication in teaching, mentorship and student advocacy. This year’s winners are Vanessa Chan, Sid Deliwala, Samantha McBride, Alejandro... Read More
A Stiff Defense: Rethinking Gum Disease News / March 31, 2026 Kyle H. Vining and Hardik Makkar take a biomaterials approach to understanding periodontal disease, using a hydrogel system to investigate how the physical properties of the gum tissue impact inflammation. Read More
