Featured Faculty Research

Research in our department extends across campus through interdisciplinary and inter-school collaborations. Our faculty are at the cutting edge of Materials Science research. See below for some recent research highlights.

Shu Yang is developing DIY origami face masks for COVID-19

Shu Yang, Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, is leading the effort to design a face mask that can be made at home using origami and easily sourced materials. “Anything you’re putting over your mouth and nose when you go outside is better than having no protection at all,” she says.

Penn Engineers Develop First Tunable, Chip-based ‘Vortex Microlaser’ and Detector, Encode Information in Twisting Beams of Light

Two studies led by Liang Feng and Ritesh Agarwal from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science have shown a system that can manipulate and detect a property known as the orbital angular momentum, or OAM, of light. Critically, they are the first to do so on small semiconductor chips and with enough precision that it can be used as a medium for transmitting information.

Materials Science Faculty are featured in this recent publication and video from the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy