Cornell is home to five national research centers focused on Materials Science and Engineering. The world-class facilities in these centers are accessible to all MS&E Ph.D. students and house some of the most advanced research equipment and technology available anywhere. These facilities are a critical component of the MS&E Ph.D. experience and set Cornell apart from many competing programs around the globe.
The Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR)
CCMR is funded by the National Science Foundation, Cornell, and numerous state and federal agencies. CCMR maintains eight state of the art facilities which comprise an integrated system for materials synthesis and preparation, analysis, testing and characterization, and advanced research computing. CCMR funds a large number of graduate students (typically five – ten of which are MS&E students) and coordinates research involvement among approximately 100 Cornell faculty across 12 departments. Please visit the CCMR website for complete information on their latest news, research, facilities, collaborations, and educational activities.
The Cornell Nanofabrication Facility (CNF)
CNF is funded by the National Science Foundation, Cornell, the New York State Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research, and several industrial partners. CNF is one of the country’s most advanced research and teaching centers for nanotechnology. Roughly 700 users per year (50% of whom come from outside Cornell) utilize the fabrication, synthesis, computation, characterization, and integration resources of CNF to build structures, devices, and systems from atomic to complex length-scales. MS&E Associate Professor George Malliaras is currently serving as Director of CNF. For more information, please visit the CNF website.
The Nanobiotechnology Center (NBTC)
NBTC is funded by the National Science Foundation and was established in 2000 as a Science and Technology Center. Nanobiotechnology is a rapidly advancing area of scientific and technological opportunity that applies the tools and processes of nano/microfabrication to build devices for studying biosystems. Researchers learn from biology to create new micro-nanoscale devices to better understand life processes at the nanoscale. Please visit the NBTC website for more information.
Cornell High-Energy Synchroton Source (CHESS)
CHESS provides users with state-of-the-art synchrotron radiation facilities for research in a number of disciplines including Materials Science and Engineering. It is one of, if not the highest, high-energy synchrotron sources available in the U.S. In addition, the CESR or Cornell Electron Storage Ring is among the world’s most powerful rings for X-ray production. Please visit the CHESS website for more information.
Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS)
CNS is one of the largest Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers supported by the National Science Foundation. The mission of CNS is to develop innovative electronic, photonic, and magnetic nanoscale systems that collectively have the potential to revolutionize information technology including electronics, communications, information storage and sensors. Roughly 20 faculty research groups here at Cornell currently work with CNS on several major nanoscale science and engineering research areas including the Liddell and Malliaras groups in MS&E. Please visit the CNS website for more information.