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Message from the Interim Chair

Karolos Grigoriadis

I am delighted to extend you a warm welcome on behalf of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Houston!

US News & World Report ranks mechanical engineering as the best engineering profession! It is the most diverse and versatile engineering degree, leading to a multitude of career options. The Houston metropolitan area is a thriving center of high-tech industry and one of the best cities in the US for mechanical engineers based on job availability and average salary, and our department boats close ties with leading and small engineering companies in the region. Our graduates find high-paying jobs in every industry sector, including energy, aerospace, manufacturing, robotics and automation, transportation, automotive, and life sciences. Our alumni are pursuing successful and rewarding technical, management, and research careers and hold leadership positions in industry, government, and academia in the region, the US, and around the globe.

Our highly ranked department is home to more than 1,000 undergraduates and 260 graduate students. Our faculty includes members of the National Academy of Engineering and Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors. Many have won prestigious awards and have gained national and international recognition for their research and technical contributions. Our faculty members are at the forefront of their technical fields and are actively engaged in groundbreaking research across diverse disciplines within the mechanical engineering field. From advanced manufacturing to superconductivity, environmental fluid mechanics to renewable energy, machine learning to system health monitoring, thermal transport phenomena to nanotechnology, novel materials to semiconductor devices, scientific computing to energy systems, active materials to morphing structures, novel sensors to bioinspired robotics, and autonomous agents to aerospace systems, our research endeavors are driving innovation and shaping the future of engineering.

Laboratory and senior capstone design courses, ample opportunities for summer internships, research engagement, and participation in student-led group project competitions provide valuable and comprehensive hands-on experience in our undergraduate program. At the graduate level, our students are involved in cutting-edge research projects sponsored by Federal agencies and industry. Our Accelerated Master's programs enable a fast transition to graduate school, shortening the time needed to complete an M.S. degree. The interdisciplinary graduate program of Aerospace Engineering administered by the Mechanical Engineering Department offers the M.S. degree to those interested in an aerospace concentration specialization.

The department is committed to an inclusive academic environment that fosters excellence in engineering education, promotes state-of-the-art research, and inspires a culture of innovation. Whether you are embarking on your undergraduate journey or planning to pursue advanced research at the graduate level, our diverse and dynamic program is designed to equip you with the knowledge, skills, and mindset needed to tackle the challenges of the 21st century. I encourage you to explore all our department has to offer and to actively engage with our vibrant academic, educational, and research community.

I look forward to working with each of you to advance the mission and vision of our Mechanical Engineering Department.

Karolos Grigoriadis, Ph.D.
Interim Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering
Moores Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Director of Aerospace Engineering
Cullen College of Engineering
University of Houston