Materials Engineering

Design windows that generate electricity and let light through. Produce replacement bones and custom equipment for athletes using 3D printing. Work alongside industry partners to develop corrosion-resistant steel pipes.

You’ll redesign existing materials – or create entirely new ones – to make stronger, lighter, cheaper and more sustainable products.

Specialisation overview

Collaborate across disciplines, solve complex problems and enhance material properties to design fit-for-purpose products

You’ll delve into areas like polymeric materials, renewable energy production and storage, durability, biomaterials and biomechanics, additive manufacturing and sustainability.

See how cutting-edge materials are reshaping industries. From 3D-printed jet engines that fast track production and more efficient solar panels, to antimicrobial therapeutics that fight bacteria and biodegradable tissue scaffolds.

Materials engineers prepare and enhance the materials of today to meet the demands of tomorrow.

See the course map and handbook for an outline of the course structures, units and electives.

My research is about creating new in vitro models to gain a deeper understanding about colorectal cancer (CRC). I am developing new polymeric hydrogels to support the growth of ‘mini guts’, otherwise known as intestinal organoids, which will be used to investigate very aggressive CRC behaviours. We hope to better understand how the crosstalk between different cells and their environment play into the development of colorectal cancer.”
BRENDAN HUNG
PhD, Materials Science Engineering
Ezio Rizzardo Polymer Scholarship,
Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering

Careers in Materials engineering

Material engineers are problem solvers at their core and closely collaborate with other specialists – like chemists, physicists and biologists – to design fit-for-purpose solutions. Demand for materials engineers remains high and in this multidisciplinary field you might:

Refine tissue engineering to repair damaged organs
Design smart fabrics that act as a sensor to control vehicles
Apply 3D bioprinting to generate living tissue for personalised treatments
Develop lighter, stronger materials for flight and space travel
Work with bioscientists to detect drugs and toxins
Create nanoparticles that seek out and destroy cancer

What you will learn

Materials Engineering

As you examine the next generation of applications and technologies, you’ll explore the following topics:

Biomaterials

Design stronger, lighter knee replacements, swiftly detect disease markers, increase biocompatibility for cardiac devices, or combine biomaterials and genomics to repair damaged tissue. You’ll improve lives – and save them
Nanomaterials

Develop stronger alloys for the demands of space, refine nanomedicine to improve patient wellbeing and use nanoparticle toxicology to aid diagnosis and treatment. With nanotechnology, think small to make a big impact.

Additive manufacturing

With the rise (and rise) of additive solutions (particularly in China), you’ll investigate how 3D printing and manufacturing are transforming the aerospace, automotive and biomedical industries.
Advanced materials modelling

Sharpen your skills as you simulate and model material behaviour. You’ll explore a range of techniques, like finite element modelling, atomic structure modelling, electronic structure and chemical bondin

Advanced photovoltaics and energy storage

Want to improve efficiencies in energy storage systems and allow more light to pass through solar windows? As the renewable revolution accelerates, you’ll delve deep into the latest breakthroughs to explore pros, cons – and opportunities.

Materials Engineering specialisation is also available through the Master of Engineering.