Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago

What Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago does

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MIE) at the University of Illinois Chicago is a public academic department within the UIC College of Engineering, established in 2001 and located in Chicago, Illinois. It operates undergraduate programs (BS in Mechanical Engineering, BS in Industrial Engineering, BS in Engineering Management), graduate programs (MS in Mechanical Engineering, MS in Industrial Engineering, Master of Energy Engineering), and PhD pathways, alongside an accelerated 4+1 BS/MS joint degree. The department's research portfolio spans seven core areas: Biomedical Engineering, Computational Mechanics, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Design/Controls/Manufacturing, Energy, Materials Engineering, and Micro/Nanoscale Science and Engineering, supported by 15 specialized laboratories and two federally-funded research centers.

Core research assets include the NASA MIRO Center for In-Space Manufacturing: Recycling and Regolith Processing (CISM-R2), which develops additive manufacturing technologies for space applications including the ReCPA UV-curable composite for 3D printing thermal protection materials on extraterrestrial surfaces, and the DOE-funded Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC), which delivers energy assessments to small and mid-size industrial facilities nationwide. Faculty expertise covers combustion chemistry via the High-Pressure Shock Tube Lab, nanofiber electrospinning, traumatic brain injury modeling using stem-cell-derived brain organoids, bioinspired robotics, machine learning for materials discovery, computer vision for heat-fluid-surface analysis, and data-driven optimization across healthcare and industrial systems. Department leadership is provided by Professor Houshang Darabi as Department Head, with directorships held by Yayue Pan (NASA MIRO), Lin Li (ITAC), Hamed Hatami-Marbini (Graduate Studies), Jonathan Komperda (Undergraduate Studies), and Shokouh Pourarian (Energy Engineering).

The business model is non-commercial: revenue derives from tuition, state appropriations, and external research grants from federal agencies including NSF, DOE, and NASA, rather than product or service sales. Student recruitment and brand-building are conducted through the departmental website, LinkedIn/X/Instagram channels, Engineering Expo events, open houses, and the Industrial Advisory Board. The department holds ABET accreditation for its undergraduate programs and is led by an Industrial Advisory Board comprising representatives from companies including AllCell Technologies, ANSYS, and Caterpillar Inc. who provide industry guidance without holding ownership stakes.

Name

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago

Legal name

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago

Website

https://mie.uic.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department at the University of Illinois Chicago offers BS, MS, and PhD programs in mechanical, industrial, energy, and engineering management disciplines, supported by 15 specialized research labs and two federally-funded centers (NASA MIRO, DOE ITAC). It serves undergraduate and graduate students, federal research sponsors, and U.S. industrial partners via applied research and energy assessment services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Higher Education

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM-Focused Technical Universities (EDAHAEAD), Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA), Technical Universities with Specialized Engineering Domains (EDAHAEAI)

Keywords

• Mechanical engineering education
• Industrial engineering programs
• Engineering research labs
• Energy engineering degrees
• Manufacturing research

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago is an academic department that offers undergraduate degrees (BS in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Engineering Management), graduate degrees (MS in Mechanical Engineering, MS in Industrial Engineering, Master of Energy Engineering, PhD programs), and an accelerated BS/MS joint program. The department also operates research centers including the NASA MIRO Center for In-Space Manufacturing: Recycling and Regolith Processing (CISM-R2) and the DOE-funded Industrial Training and Assessment Center, and houses numerous specialized research laboratories.

Product overview

The Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department at UIC offers a comprehensive academic portfolio comprising undergraduate programs (BS in Mechanical Engineering, BS in Industrial Engineering), graduate programs (MS in Mechanical Engineering, MS in Industrial Engineering, Master of Energy Engineering, PhD programs), and specialized research centers including the NASA MIRO Center for In-Space Manufacturing and the Industrial Training and Assessment Center. The department provides education across traditional mechanical engineering disciplines (energy, manufacturing, robotics, aerospace) and industrial engineering (optimization, data analytics, supply chain, human factors) with strong emphasis on hands-on learning, senior design projects with industry partners, and cutting-edge research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CISM-R2: NASA MIRO Center focusing on in-space manufacturing, recycling and regolith processing
• ITAC (Industrial Training and Assessment Center)

Products and services

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability12 records

Feature5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Georgia Tech, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering: Top-ranked U.S. mechanical engineering school with strong research depth in manufacturing, robotics, energy, and bioengineering. Directly comparable in scope, research portfolio, and industry-partnership model.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering: UIC MIE's sister department within the University of Illinois System. UIUC Grainger is one of the top-ranked U.S. mechanical engineering programs and shares the same system governance and student/faculty ecosystem, making it the closest structural peer.
• Virginia Tech, Department of Mechanical Engineering: Large public engineering school with strong manufacturing and energy research. Comparable scale and federal funding mix; similar DOE ITAC and industry-advisory-board model.
• Penn State, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering: Large public university with parallel industrial/manufacturing engineering programs and DOE ITAC presence. Directly comparable program structure and federal research funding model.
• Carnegie Mellon, Department of Mechanical Engineering: Strong private research university with comparable research depth in robotics, manufacturing, and AI-for-engineering. Notable overlap with UIC MIE's data-driven design and human-centered engineering research.
• University of Michigan, Department of Mechanical Engineering: Top-10 U.S. mechanical engineering program with comparable research depth in energy, manufacturing, robotics, and materials. Strong overlap with UIC MIE on federal grant profile and graduate-program scale.
• Purdue University, School of Mechanical Engineering: Large public engineering school with comparable research areas in manufacturing, energy, and materials, and similar DOE/NSF funding mix. Strong peer on academic-program scale and federally funded research output.

Broad incumbents

• MIT, Department of Mechanical Engineering: Global leader in mechanical engineering research. Comparable in research areas (energy, manufacturing, biomedical, materials) but operates at a different scale and brand tier; primary competitor for top faculty and large federal awards.
• Stanford University, Department of Mechanical Engineering: Elite private research university with deep mechanical engineering and design research. Comparable in research scope (additive manufacturing, robotics, energy) but at a much higher brand and funding tier.
• University of California, Berkeley, Department of Mechanical Engineering: Elite engineering school with broader portfolio and stronger ranking; comparable research areas but at much larger scale and brand recognition. Represents the upper bound of competition for faculty talent and federal grants.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UICEngineering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/mechanical-and-industrial-engineering-at-uic
• Instagraminstagram.com/uicengineering

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago