Overview

Founder’s Story

Dr. Robert “Bob” Wallace

“Project Emmitt” — it’s the code name for an initiative which could only happen in Dallas. This initiative was also the impetus for the creation of the Materials Science and Engineering department in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas-Dallas.

“Project Emmitt” was a public-private partnership designed to put the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex on track to becoming a semiconductor hotspot, as well as the apex of the Texas “Technology Triangle.” Texas Instruments’ decision to locate its chip manufacturing facility in Dallas, instead of outsourcing the work like other tech giants, kick-started the move to create an 85-million-dollar research building.

The Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory (NSERL) was the first step in a 300-million-dollar commitment from the state of Texas, the UT system and local entities to improve and expand the Jonsson School.

According to MSE co-founding faculty member Dr. Robert “Bob” Wallace, former Jonsson School dean Bob Helms was one of the players who made “Project Emmitt” a reality. Helms was also instrumental in enticing MSE’s three founding faculty members away from neighboring institution the University of North Texas: Dr. Wallace, Dr. Moon Kim and Dr. Bruce Gnade.

Dr. Kim now jokes that, as a result, the three men were all “banned” from the city of Denton at the time. According to Dr. Wallace, UT Dallas was an attractive option at the time because it gave them the opportunity to create a vibrant and unique department focused on research.

The three researchers were also offered positions at the University of Texas at Arlington, but they turned UTA down in favor of UTD, because the new Jonsson School department would focus on research instead of teaching. The co-founders were also excited by the prospect of building something new.

According to Dr. Gnade, because of UTD’s close relationship with Texas Instruments, the co-founders were encouraged to focus on electronics materials and concentrate on graduate education and research.

The original co-founders’ goal was to become one of the top 30 materials science departments in the United States. This goal has not yet been met — but according to Dr. Kim, with the addition of an undergraduate program, UTD has a better chance of achieving that objective. Additionally, Dr. Gnade added that the move toward energy storage materials is an intuitive move, because of society’s need for renewable energy.

Publication Highlights

Excellent researchers inspire excellent students across all levels. While many of our students ultimately pursue PhD coursework in materials science and engineering, we are pleased to offer several entry points for students to engage with our faculty and explore their own paths.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering is also pleased to offer a new course for undergraduate students who are interested in exploring materials science.

MSEN 3339 – Materials Characterization 

Quick Facts

Center and Institutes

Gov. Greg Abbott visits UTD, announces Texas semiconductor committee​

Governor Greg Abbott visited NSERL in March 2024, to announce the inaugural members of the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium Executive Committee. Governor Abbot says that Texas is the birthplace of the integrated circuit, and we now lead the nation as the #1 state for semiconductor manufacturing.  Dr. Manuel Quevedo Lopez, director of the Materials Science and Engineering Department at UT Dallas, says the direction of the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium will be a big opportunity for students and driving force for growth in the industry’s job market. “We understand the driving force behind this is industry and that’s going to [direct] our students as we prepare them to join the workforce.” Read More

Faculty Recognition

Our faculty have received several national and international awards over the past year for their work on applications as diverse as medical devices, machine learning for optimized solar cell development and biomedical coatings.