Material Engineer

What Material Engineer does

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at Iowa State University is an academic unit within the university's College of Engineering that delivers undergraduate and graduate education, conducts externally funded research, and operates fee-for-service materials characterization laboratories. Formed in 1975 through the merger of the Ceramic Engineering and Metallurgical Engineering programs, the department offers three undergraduate specializations — Ceramics, Metals, and Polymers — alongside MS and PhD graduate programs with focus areas in Biomaterials, Ceramics, Metals, and Polymers. Education is delivered to roughly 1,400 recruiting companies per year, with materials engineering graduates commanding an average starting salary of $71,200/year.

Research and laboratory infrastructure is the department's other core function. Faculty administer approximately $22 million in annual research funds, executed across specialized laboratories in Hoover Hall and Gilman Hall: a Materials Synthesis and Processing Lab, a Metallography Lab, an Electron Microscopy/X-Ray Diffraction Lab (FEI Inspect F50 FEG-SEM, Rigaku Smartlab XRD), a Thermal Analysis/Mechanical Testing Lab (DSC, TGA, DMA, Instron universal testers), a Furnace Lab, and the Gilman Thermal Analysis Lab. The Collins Research Group operates distinctive capabilities including a Gleeble 3800 thermomechanical physical simulator, Spatially Resolved Acoustic Spectroscopy (SRAS) co-developed with the University of Nottingham, Robo-Met.3D automated serial sectioning, and a first-of-its-kind powder-blown Directed Energy Deposition system designed for beam-line experiments.

The department operates on a hybrid academic and contract-research model. Revenue sources include federal research grants (NSF, DoD, DoE), industry-sponsored research, tuition, state appropriation through Iowa State University, alumni donations (including the Renken professorship), and fee-for-service access to characterization equipment for trained external users. The talent pipeline serves employers including Honeywell, 3M, John Deere, Emerson, Allegheny Technologies, Cobham Mission Systems, Ervin Industries, Link Mfg., Placon Corporation, Thombert, and SAFI-Tech. Strategic research partners include the DOE's Ames National Laboratory (integrated on the ISU campus), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Air Force Research Lab, NSF I/UCRCs (CANFSA, CNDE), the Quad City Manufacturing Lab, and universities including Ohio State, Penn State, Colorado School of Mines, Lehigh, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, Nottingham, Imperial College London, and Cambridge. ABET accreditation applies to the undergraduate program.

Name

Material Engineer

Legal name

Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Website

https://mse.iastate.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University delivers undergraduate and graduate education in ceramics, metals, and polymers while operating advanced materials characterization labs and conducting federally funded research in partnership with DOE's Ames National Laboratory and a broad industry consortium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Education and Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Engineering Services (541330)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD), Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

Keywords

• Materials science education
• Engineering research laboratories
• Materials characterization services
• Undergraduate engineering programs
• Graduate materials research

Headquarters

HQ city

Ames

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University delivers undergraduate and graduate education in materials science (BS, MS, PhD) with three specializations in Ceramics, Metals, and Polymers. It operates 11 specialized laboratories and shared equipment facilities and provides fee-for-service access to materials characterization and testing instruments (electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, metallography, thermal analysis, mechanical testing) for external academic and industry users. Annual research expenditures exceed $22 million.

Product overview

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University offers educational programs and research services centered around materials science and engineering. The department provides undergraduate specializations in Ceramics, Metals, and Polymers, as well as graduate programs. Research capabilities are delivered through multiple specialized laboratories including the Materials Synthesis and Processing Lab, Metallography Lab, Polishing Lab, Furnace Lab, Thermal Analysis/Mechanical Testing Lab, Electron Microscopy/X-Ray Diffraction Lab, and Thermal and General Analysis Lab. The department also offers fee-for-service characterization equipment and operates a computer lab for students. The Collins Research Group provides advanced research capabilities including additive manufacturing, Gleeble thermomechanical simulation, and specialized electron microscopy techniques.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BS in Materials Science and Engineering — Ceramics Specialization
• BS in Materials Science and Engineering — Metals Specialization
• BS in Materials Science and Engineering — Polymers Specialization
• MS and PhD Graduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering
• Fee-For-Service Laboratory and Equipment Access

Quantifiable outcome

• Average starting salary for materials engineering graduates is $71,200/year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Ames National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe U.S. Department of Energy's Ames National Laboratory is the only DOE laboratory fully integrated into a university campus. It is a key research collaborator and provides world-class research facilities for MSE faculty and students.
• Oak Ridge National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational laboratory collaborating with Collins Research Group and other MSE researchers on various materials science projects.
• Air Force Research LabmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research laboratory collaborating on materials research projects including additive manufacturing and advanced materials.
• Center for Advanced Nonferrous Structural Alloys (CANFSA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Phase III NSF I/UCRC focused on physical metallurgy of non-ferrous alloys; Collins Research Group is actively involved.
• Center for Nondestructive Evaluation (CNDE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA graduated NSF I/UCRC at Iowa State focused on nondestructive evaluation; collaborates with MSE on materials characterization research.
• Quad City Manufacturing LabmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on smart design and manufacturing research and education initiatives.
• The Ohio State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity collaborator with Collins Research Group, particularly in titanium alloy research.
• Pennsylvania State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity collaborator on materials science and engineering research projects.
• The Colorado School of MinesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity collaborator in materials research and education.
• Lehigh UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator with Collins Research Group on statistical analysis and yield strength prediction in titanium alloys.
• Carnegie Mellon UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity collaborator on materials science research.
• Georgia Institute of TechnologymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on machine learning approaches for materials discovery and manufacturing.
• University of NottinghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey collaborator on Spatially Resolved Acoustic Spectroscopy (SRAS) development; pioneered the technique for analyzing crystal orientation over large areas.
• Imperial College LondonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational university collaborator on materials science research.
• Cambridge UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational university collaborator on materials science research.
• Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege of Engineering center that connects Iowa industrial firms with MSE for assistance on materials-related problems.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Northwestern University Materials Science and Engineering: Top-ranked private MSE department offering BS, MS, and PhD degrees with comparable specialization tracks in ceramics, metals, polymers, and biomaterials and strong industrial recruiting.
• UC Berkeley Materials Science and Engineering: Top public MSE department offering BS, MS, and PhD programs with deep research capabilities across ceramics, metals, polymers, and electronic materials. Comparable as a leading U.S. public MSE department with similar employer demand.
• University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering: Public Big Ten MSE department with comprehensive BS, MS, and PhD programs and research strengths in characterization and processing. Collins Research Group leader did post-doctoral work here, evidencing direct academic lineage and comparable research scope.
• MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering: Top-ranked U.S. MSE academic department offering BS, MS, and PhD programs with comparable research breadth across ceramics, metals, polymers, and advanced characterization. Most directly comparable as a leading public/private MSE department with Nobel-laureate heritage and broad industrial recruiting.
• Carnegie Mellon University Materials Science and Engineering: MSE department offering BS, MS, and PhD programs with a strong computational and experimental research portfolio. Already an active collaborator with ISU and comparable in research breadth and industry engagement.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Materials Science and Engineering: Public Big Ten MSE department offering comprehensive BS, MS, and PhD programs in ceramics, metals, and polymers with strong industry recruiting. Directly comparable as a public research university MSE program with similar structure and lab infrastructure.
• Ohio State University Materials Science and Engineering: Public Big Ten MSE department and direct academic origin of the Collins Research Group leader (PhD, 2004). Comparable as a peer public university MSE program with research strength in alloy solidification and additive manufacturing.
• Georgia Institute of Technology Materials Science and Engineering: Public research university MSE department that is already an active collaborator with ISU on machine learning for materials discovery. Directly comparable as a peer MSE program with similar specialization tracks and research lab infrastructure.
• Purdue University School of Materials Engineering: Public Big Ten materials engineering program offering ABET-accalaureate and graduate degrees with research strengths in metals, ceramics, and polymers. Comparable as a peer public university MSE program with similar employer recruiting footprint.
• Stanford Materials Science and Engineering: MSE department offering BS, MS, and PhD degrees with similar research focus areas in ceramics, metals, polymers, and biomaterials. Comparable as a top-tier U.S. MSE program with extensive industrial partnerships and fee-for-service lab access.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/IowaStateMSE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/material-engineer
• Instagraminstagram.com/iowastatemse

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Material Engineer