DMSE at MIT

DMSE PhD student Mouyang Cheng and @mit_nse’s Mingda Li built an AI model that detects and measures defects in materials—helping engineers optimize strength, conductivity, and other properties. buff.ly/r5Ifule

Ye Ji Kim PhD ’25 has been named a 2026 Schmidt Science Fellow. She will develop noninvasive tools to study gut-brain neural circuits, exploring new ways to treat psychiatric, neurological, and metabolic conditions without surgery or implants. buff.ly/vUE2GFv

DMSE postdoc Benjamin Sabatini, MIT Asst. Prof. Mark Rau, and @mfaboston's Jared Katz discuss their work creating playable physical and synthesized replicas of ancient and historic instruments in the MFA's collection. Watch here: buff.ly/f6v0wpm

TJ Wallin, Xu Liu, and colleagues develop a flexible gel that changes conductivity when exposed to light, potentially enabling advanced human-machine interfaces, soft robotics, and more. buff.ly/XS6EXaj

Alán Aspuru-Guzik of @UofT gave the Spring 2026 Wulff Lecture on March 10, focusing on “AI agents” that can plan experiments, analyze data, and design new materials—a glimpse of how research labs might evolve in the future. Watch the full lecture here: buff.ly/tEzXZ95

DMSE Prof. Iwnetim Abate and PhD student Hugh Smith show how sodium-ion battery materials made with abundant metals can store more energy while remaining stable. Read the Nano Energy paper: buff.ly/JqYH4R5

Solid-state batteries could outperform lithium-ion—but metallic dendrites make them short-circuit. New work from Yet-Ming Chiang, Cole Fincher, and colleagues reveals why—and points toward longer-lasting, higher-energy batteries. buff.ly/qXnY7sC

DMSE graduate students presented their research in a February 27 poster session during the department’s Visit Day event for prospective students. Twenty-six accepted applicants visited MIT for faculty presentations, lab tours, and social events.

Researchers were able to physically replicate the Paracas whistle, a ceramic artifact from Peru dating from 600-175 BCE. The cross-sectional rotation shows intricate facial details as well as the internal geometry and imperfections. buff.ly/1bDOjwp

DMSE Prof. Lorna Gibson examines the hidden mechanics behind birds’ remarkable abilities in her new book, Birds Up Close, coming April 28. Gibson, a lifelong birder, brings an engineer’s perspective to the natural world. Learn more: buff.ly/mWgj4FU

DMSE postdoc Kyung-Shik Kim, Prof. C. Cem Tasan, and colleagues have won the 2026 @aisisteel Medal for their paper on how microstructure influences failure in advanced high-strength steels. Read the @Sciencedirect paper: buff.ly/31QgKXM

The Wulff Lecture welcomed Alán Aspuru-Guzik of @UofT, who described efforts to accelerate scientific discovery using AI, automation, and robotics, focusing on “AI agents” that can plan experiments, analyze data, and design new materials. Watch here: buff.ly/tEzXZ95

Participants in a @medialab IAP workshop on Raman spectroscopy led by MIT postdoc Lamyaa Almehmadi learned how laser “fingerprinting” can help identify materials in fields ranging from law enforcement to art restoration. buff.ly/CQjL7EP

DMSE Professor Yet-Ming Chiang is the recipient of a 2025 Momentum Grant for his work on emissionless smelting of critical materials. The grant supports research and translation to accelerate promising technologies toward real-world impact. buff.ly/8PITE5U

600 donors. One day. Support MIT today. Give through the @MITEngineering Challenge and select DMSE in the dropdown. @MIT_alumni buff.ly/SEw1tTW

DMSE Prof. Yang Shao-Horn, grad students Jason Phong, Louis Ah & Haldrian Iriawan, & others show that lithium metal batteries perform best when their protective layer (SEI) is dominated by lithium ethylene dicarbonate. Read in @CellCellPress: buff.ly/0Dh3m4f

Jia Liu of @Harvard spoke at the MSE Seminar on March 3, presenting soft, flexible bioelectronic technologies designed for stable, large-scale neural recording in brain–computer interfaces. His research spans tissue-like bioelectronics, cyborg organoids, and AI-driven analysis.

As part of her @mitenergy UROP, DMSE junior Amelia How developed methods to minimize hydride formation in titanium, reducing structural deformation in energy infrastructure materials. Watch here: buff.ly/YZDKUwj

Through an interdisciplinary collaboration between @MIT and @mfaboston, DMSE postdoc Benjamin Sabatini and other researchers are creating playable physical and synthesized replicas of ancient and historical musical instruments. buff.ly/mu4n98h

The Spring 2026 Wulff Lecture will be given by Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik of @UofT and will explore the next generation of AI—systems that move beyond content generation to experiment and make discoveries on their own. Tuesday, March 10 | 4 pm | E25-111 buff.ly/UzYi3SS