The Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) graduate program at OU is an interdisciplinary effort between the Gallogly College of Engineering, the Dodge College of Arts and Sciences, the Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy, the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts, the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture, and OU Health Sciences.
The graduate program is designed to train and support students in their career progression, through their PhD research, and beyond.
We are soliciting graduate stduent applications for Fall 2026 start.
Read the Nov. 25, 2024 News Release: OU Engineering Spearheads Cross-University Materials Doctoral Program
Materials science, the study of the structure and behavior of materials, touches many industries important in the state of Oklahoma, including aerospace, defense and energy. The program is a collaborative effort to increase the workforce of highly skilled experts in materials science and engineering. Materials science, the study of the structure and behavior of materials, touches many industries important in the state of Oklahoma, including aerospace, defense and energy. The program is a collaborative effort to increase the workforce of highly skilled experts in materials science and engineering.
“Materials is one of the fastest growing and most well-funded and strategic technology areas,” said John Klier, Ph.D., dean of the Gallogly College of Engineering. “With this initiative, OU is establishing a materials program with a state-of-the-art curriculum and faculty to allow our students access to this exciting arena.”
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the demand for materials engineers will grow 5% per year from 2022 to 2032. OU has established strong connections with the private sector to promote the success of our graduates.
Graduate students are recognized with awards at the first Workshop on Advanced Materials. View agenda.
This program admits students only in the fall. Applications for Fall 2025 are now closed. The application cycle for Fall 2026 will open the second week of September.
Application deadline: May 1, 2026
Visa-seeking student deadline: April 1, 2026
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, in the order they are received. Once your application is submitted, our admissions team will keep you updated on your status. To maximize your chances of securing a spot, we encourage you to apply early.
Click the Apply button below to begin your application to the Graduate College. Join us in driving meaningful impact through fundamental discoveries in MSE.
*Prospective students requesting an application fee waiver are encouraged to contact MSE Faculty members to discuss possible research collaborations. If a prospective student has discussed with two or more Faculty members, the application fees will be waived. Please note that this is possible until funds are available, and/or until all positions are filled. We encourage interested students to apply as soon as possible.
We are pleased to announce the Interdisciplinary Graduate Seminar Series in Materials Science and Engineering. For the Fall semester, the seminars included are listed below. In future semesters, additional seminars will be offered by other departments that are integral to the PhD program in Materials Science and Engineering. Please come and meet us at these exciting seminars.
PhD students enrolled in the graduate program in Materials Science and Engineering are expected to attend at least seven of the seminars listed here. The students can choose the seminars that better fit their interests and schedule. Students should ensure they have a signed confirmation of attendance by the presenter.
Seminars Offered from the School of Sustainable Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering. See website for details: https://www.ou.edu/coe/scbme/news-hub/seminars
Seminars Offered by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. See website for details: https://www.ou.edu/cas/chemistry/news-events/events/seminars
Seminars Offered by the Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronom. See website for details: https://www.ou.edu/cas/physics-astronomy/news-events/colloquium
Additional seminars are offered by the Center for Quantum Research and Technology (CQRT), the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the School of Computer Science, the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, the School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering. Seminars offered by those, and other departments will be chosen in future semesters to be integral part of the MSE Seminar Series.
The strength of the MSE program at OU lies in the synergistic expertise and collaborative nature of the projects we entertain. Our research strengths are listed below:
| Name | Discipline | Research Area(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Shuozhi Xu | Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering | Metal Additive Manufacturing |
| Mike Banad | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Neuromorphic Hardware Design |
| Iman Ghamarian | Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering | Processing-Structure-Properties |
| Yingtao Liu | Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering | Soft Materials Processing |
| Shreya Vemuganti | Civil Engineering and Environmental Science | 3D-Printed Polymers |
| Name | Discipline | Research Area(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Handan Acar | Biomedical Engineering | Self-Assembly (Peptides, Nanoparticles, Fibers) |
| Ngoc Bui | Sustainable Engineering | Nanostructured Membranes |
| John Clegg | Biomedical Engineering | Nanogels |
| Reza Foudazi | Sustainable Engineering | Colloidal Templating Synthesis |
| Michele Galizia | Sustainable Engineering | Polymeric Membranes |
| Brian Grady | Sustainable Engineering | Polymers and Surfactants Formulations |
| John Klier | Sustainable Engineering | Responsive Coatings and Polymers |
| Sepideh Razavi | Sustainable Engineering | Particles and Foams |
| Alberto Striolo | Sustainable Engineering | Surfactants Modeling and Design |
| Stefan Wilhelm | Biomedical Engineering | Nanoparticles and Liposomes |
| Shreya Vemuganti | Civil Engineering and Environmental Science | Polymer Nanocomposites |
| Mike Banad | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Materials Discovery via AI |
| Hyunho Noh | Chemistry and Biochemistry | MOFs Synthesis and Characterization |
| Yuanning Feng | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Dynamic Functional Materials |
| Yitong Dong | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Photophysical Properties of Nanomaterials |
| Lloyd Bumm | Physics and Astronomy | Characterization of Surfaces and Interfaces |
| Madalina Furis | Physics and Astronomy | Organic Semiconductors |
| Joseph Tischler | Physics and Astronomy | Light-Matter Interactions |
| Liangliang (Paul) Huang | Sustainable Engineering | Porous Materials |
| Alisa Javadi | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | Nanophotonics |
| Shuozhi Xu | Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering | Nanostructured Materials |
| Hanjong Paik | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | Oxides/Nitrides Thin Films |
| Sarah Sharif | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | Photonic Nanostructures |
| Rui Yang | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Semiconductor Materials & Devices |
| Michael Santos | Engineering Physics | Narrow-Gap Semiconductor Materials |
| Venky Venkatesan | Electrical Engineering and Computer Science | Pulsed Laser Deposition |
| Binbin Weng | Electrical and Computer Engineering | Materials and Photonics for Sensing |
| Kasun Gunasooriya | Sustainable Engineering | Materials Discovery |
| Son Dang | Petroleum Engineering | Visualization |
| Yitong Dong | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Photophysical Properties of Nanomaterials |
| Lloyd Bumm | Physics and Astronomy | Characterization of Surfaces and Interfaces |
| Madalina Furis | Physics and Astronomy | Excitonic Phenomena |
| Joseph Tischler | Physics and Astronomy | Light-Matter Interactions |
| Eric Abraham | Physics and Astronomy | Cooling and Trapping |
| Julian Sabisch | Materials Science and Engineering | Materials Characterization and Defect Analysis |
| Steven Crossley | Sustainable Engineering | Heterogeneous Catalysis |
| Hanping Ding | Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering | Electrocatalysis |
| Kasun Gunasooriya | Sustainable Engineering | Electrocatalysis |
| Lloyd Bumm | Physics and Astronomy | Characterization of Surfaces and Interfaces |
| Son Dang | Petroleum Engineering | Rock and Minerals Physics |
| Mark Curtis | Petroleum Engineering | Visualization |
| Catalin Teodoriu | Petroleum Engineering | Cementing and Well Integrity |
| Deepak Devegowda | Petroleum Engineering | Fluid Transport in Porous Matrixes |
| Shreya Vemuganti | Civil Engineering and Environmental Science | Cements Manufacturing |
| Handan Acar | Biomedical Engineering | Polypeptides Self Assembly |
| Vivek Bajpai | Sustainable Engineering | Biopharmaceuticals |
| John Clegg | Biomedical Engineering | Hydrogels and Soft Biomaterials |
| John Klier | Sustainable Engineering | Targeted Drug Delivery |
| Stefan Wilhelm | Sustainable Engineering | Nanoparticles Delivery For Imaging |
| Idris Raji | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Nanoparticle-based Delivery Systems |
| Zhibo Yang | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Mass Spectrometry Bioanalysis |
| Elena Zgurskaya | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Antibiotics and Membrane Channels |
| Valentin Rybenkov | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Antibiotics and Membrane Channels |
| Sarah Breen | Biomedical Engineering | Applied Biomechanics and Engineering Education |
| Hanping Ding | Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering | Fuel Cells and Electrocatalysts |
| Kasun Gunasooriya | Sustainable Engineering | Electrocatalysts Modeling |
| Bayram Saparov | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Solid State Materials |
| Alberto Striolo | Sustainable Engineering | Multiscale Modeling |
| Dimitrios Papavassiliou | Sustainable Engineering | Sustainable Engineering, Nanocomposites and Nanofluidics |
| Kasun Gunasooriya | Sustainable Engineering | Electrocatalysts Modeling |
| Deepak Devegowda | Petroleum Engineering | Fluid Transport in Porous Matrixes |
| Liangliang (Paul) Huang | Sustainable Engineering | Reactions in Porous Materials |
| Iman Ghamarian | Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering | Machine Learning |
| Valentin Rybenkov | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Machine Learning |
| Shuozhi Xu | Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering | Multiscale Modeling |
| Nikolay Tkachenko | Chemistry and Biochemistry | Electronic Structure Theory |
*If you are an OU Faculty member and would like to be part of the interdisciplinary Materials Science and Engineering program, please reach out to Ms. Sonya Norman at norman.sonya@ou.edu.
If you are an OU Faculty member and would like to be part of the interdisciplinary Materials Science and Engineering program, please reach out to Ms Sonya Norman at norman.sonya@ou.edu.
