About Us

Mechanical Engineering at Caltech has a century-long record of excellence. It brings together three simple elements: exceptionally talented individuals; an emphasis on fundamentals principles of thermal sciences, fluid and solid mechanics, and mechanical systems; and an atmosphere that inspires one to address the critical technological challenges of the day. Our particular interests evolve with time, but our core mission of training the leaders of tomorrow and conducting fundamental research to address major technological roadblocks remains constant. Today, you will find students and faculty working on nanostructured fuel cells, laboratory earthquakes, active ferroelectric materials and devices, neural prosthetics, debris flows, response of structures against accidental explosion, quantum mechanical origins of the strength of materials and genetic algorithms for design.

Our eighteen faculty members enjoy exceptional visibility, have dynamic research programs and play leadership roles in the academic community. Despite our small size compared to our peer institutions, the Institute for Scientific Information ranks us number four worldwide for the strength of our research impact as measured by the number of citations of our papers. The research is highly interdisciplinary and often conducted in a collaborative atmosphere. Fourteen faculty members have joint appointments with other options on campus. We also enjoy close connections with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and other National Laboratories, and many local and national technology industries.

Our graduate program is oriented primarily at doctoral students though we also offer masters and engineers degrees. Our program is currently ranked number four in the nation by the US News and World Report. Incoming graduate students come from the world's most prestigious universities and work one-on-one with a faculty mentor. Nearly all graduate students receive full financial aid for the duration of their studies.

Our undergraduate degree program is ABET accredited and has quickly grown to be one of the most popular at Caltech. It combines a rigorous and fundamental coursework along with a number of options to undertake projects including the iconic Design Competition, DARPA grand challenges, and research with faculty, JPL and industry.

Mechanical Engineering celebrated its Centennial in March 2007. These celebrations served to highlight the success of our alumni, the impact of our research contributions and the goodwill that we enjoy, and thereby inspired us to dedicate ourselves to a new century of excellence.