Materials engineering PhD first in state

The Tulane School of Science and Engineering has begun a new PhD program in materials physics and engineering and is accepting applicants for the 2017-18 academic year. 

Doug Chrisey, the Jung Professor of Materials Engineering, said the program is the first materials engineering graduate program in Louisiana and will provide students with a high-level, interdisciplinary experience.

“The program is very similar to materials science and engineering but with a unique emphasis on physics fundamentals,” Chrisey said. “Materials science and engineering studies the structure, properties, and processing of materials.  We do the same with a more fundamental physics perspective.”

"Doctoral education is a top priority in the Tulane School of Science and Engineering."

Science and Engineering Dean Nicholas Altiero

The program will work hand in hand with other science and engineering disciplines along with the Tulane University School of Medicine and the A.B. Freeman School of Business.

The addition of the PhD program is part of a major expansion in the area of materials science and engineering at Tulane, which includes growth in faculty, research, educational programs, and infrastructure, all designed to make Tulane an internationally recognized center of materials excellence.

School of Science and Engineering Dean Nicholas Altiero has made materials science and engineering an important component of the school’s plans for the future.  “Doctoral education is a top priority in the Tulane School of Science and Engineering and the addition of this new doctoral program is an important step in the establishment of a strong physical engineering presence in the school,” Altiero said.

“In addition to being a great new graduate program offering, this program will also provide critical support for Tulane’s growing engineering physics program,” Chrisey said. “The two programs will support each other in terms of teaching assistants, research opportunities, and enhanced options for advanced coursework.”