Innovative Research

Research is integrated into virtually every program in the UNM School of Engineering. It is a core part of all our undergraduate degree programs and the basis for most MS and PhD degrees. In Fall 2010, annual research expenditures were $31.25 million. Engineering faculty bring in 2-3 times their salary in external grants, over $300,000 per faculty member. Read about innovative research and academic achievements in UNM Engineering and Innovative Research magazines.

Cross-cutting strategic research thrusts are outlined in the menu on the left. Departmental research areas of expertise are listed on the following pages:

• Civil Engineering
• Chemical and Nuclear Engineering
• Computer Science
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering

School of Engineering NSF Career Awardees

Since 2007, thirteen School of Engineering junior faculty have received National Science Foundation CAREER awards. NSF's prestigious awards "support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations."

 

UNM School of Engineering Research Addresses NAE Grand Challenges

1At the request of the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) assembled a panel of experts to identify the grand challenges of engineering in the 21st century. UNM Engineering research addresses some of these challenges.

White House honors UNM’s Yasamin Mostofi with Presidential Early Career Award 

9-27-11--President Barack Obama announced that Dr. Yasamin Mostofi, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been awarded the highly prestigious Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. The PECASE award is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

 

Interdisciplinary Collaborations

School of Engineering research is highly interdisciplinary, involving significant collaborations with other UNM colleges, schools, and centers; other universities; the national laboratories; and industry. SOE partnerships from UNM and the outside community are producing exciting new discoveries. The following are just some of the SOE's extensive collaborations.

• UNM is proud to be a key member of the new National Science Foundation Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center (ERC), a multi-university collaboration that is adding more capabilities to light, making it more energy-efficient, and using it to communicate. Read more at the ERC web site.
• Multidisciplinary teams at the Mind Research Network collaborate with researchers around the country and use the latest imaging technology to sleuth for new ways of understanding human behavior, especially mental illness.
• The UNM Aerospace Institute serves as a statewide clearinghouse for aerospace technology development, economic development, education, and training.

Student Research Opportunities

Student research opportunities vary from work with capstone projects, including company-sponsored tasks, to Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), to working in many of the School of Engineering labs, including a 10-acre lab in the Bosque.