School of Engineering

Theory. Practice. Impact.

At WPI, students are involved in engineering projects and research from the very beginning. Our pioneering project-based learning approach means our undergraduate and graduate students learn in the classroom and then can immediately apply their skills to solve real-world problems.

Students work alongside our world-renowned faculty, many of whom bring invaluable industry experience to their work. WPI graduates become proficient and agile engineers able to adapt to a constantly changing global environment. They’re prepared to collaborate with peers across disciplines—from engineering to the arts and sciences to business—to develop innovative and effective solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

This groundbreaking approach establishes a foundation for career success and life satisfaction.

Education

The School of Engineering gives students opportunities to solve real-world problems through team-based projects, immersive research experiences, rigorous independent study, and close student/faculty mentorship.

Engineering Departments and Programs WPI Plan Grand Challenges Scholars Program Network of Global Project Centers Got Potholes? This Student Team Has a Solution

Research

Our well-funded research projects showcase the breadth and depth of the engineering advances at WPI. A research-with-purpose mindset across the university applies many perspectives and collaborations to meet the biggest challenges we face.

Interdisciplinary Groups Metal Processing Institute PracticePoint Center for Wireless Information Network Studies Center for Advanced Research in Drying

Alumni & Students

With a devotion to lifelong learning and a commitment to make the planet better, WPI’s students and alumni produce boundary-pushing results with the widest impact. They approach their work with a careful balance of improving technology and humanity.

Jessica Rosewitz '07 (BS), '16 (MS), '20 (PhD) [Civil Engineering] Stephen Rusckowski ’79 [Mechanical Engineering] Yatao Liu ’08, PhD [Chemical Engineering] Leila Carvajal Erker ’96 [Chemical Engineering]

Researchers Expanding Development of Oxygen Sensor for Babies to also Monitor COVID-19 Patients

An interdisciplinary group of researchers at WPI is expanding its previous work to develop a small wireless mobile sensor that will measure a baby’s blood oxygen levels to also create a similar sensor that can act as early detection device for COVID-19 infections.

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Researcher Leads $2.4 Million Project to Manufacture Low-Cost, Fast-Charging Lithium Ion Car Batteries

WPI will lead a team of industry and university researchers in a $2.4 million project to manufacture cheaper, faster-charging lithium ion car batteries. The researchers will reduce the cost and charging time of lithium ion car batteries by building on previous research to manufacture battery electrodes with a solvent-free approach.

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Chemical Engineers: “Why Not Make Waste Work for Us?”

Two WPI chemical engineering research projects investigating sustainability and waste reduction received nearly $540,000 stemming from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) 2026 Idea Machine competition. The work will explore finding applications for nitrogen-rich waste products and converting marine plastics into ship fuel.

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Gabriel Espinosa '24

BS in Mechanical Engineering

Gabriel works to pursue his passion for sustainability and engineering through WPI’s clubs and hands-on learning experiences. [...]

Tessa Lytle '23

BS/MS Mechanical Engineering

Tessa’s college career, both on and off the skating rink, has provided her many opportunities to get involved and make an impact. [...]

Student Impact

Martin Thulani Milanzi '24

Milanzi Brings STEM to Refugees in Zambia

Sensing the Living Breath

Electrical engineer Ulkuhan Guler has an ambitious goal: creating a small, smart, skin patch that collects critical measures of respiration.

Field Work in Sustainability

Don Seville ’92 uses systems thinking to improve farming and food.

Spotlight on Engineering

Patrick Schaumont, professor of electrical and computer engineering, is an expert in hardware security. As part of the Vernam Lab, where several key experts are working on various perspectives of secure system design, he aims to develop designs and prototypes and methods and tools. Partnering with WPI experts in this field can help industry collaborators transfer their own ideas into viable products.

Discover how Yihao Zheng, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is using applied science, engineering, and technology to advance manufacturing in the healthcare industry.

James Urban, assistant professor in fire protection engineering, researches advances in wildland fire, visual-based fire protection, and fundamental fire phenomenon. His team is especially skilled at finding low-cost ways to measure fire and provide collaborators access to state-of-the-art fire labs, easily allowing for multi-scale experiments.

Research scientist Christopher Nycz and the team at PracticePoint uncovered a need in the market for a space where engineers could better access clinical spaces. Corporate partners are welcome to integrate their industry know-how and WPI’s academic expertise to create new products—and accelerate those products to market.

Media Coverage

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Space Weekly

A New Graduate Project Plans to Make Martian Water Drinkable

Lydia Ellen Tonani-Penha, a PhD student in materials science and engineering, is working on a NASA-funded research project to examine ways to purify the frozen or liquid brine that Mars is infused with. She and Robert Hyers, the George I. Alden Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering, presented the project plan at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas.

Interesting Engineering

US backs new recovery tech to extract uranium from wastewater

Xiaowei Teng, the James H. Manning Professor of Chemical Engineering, has received an award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to study the recovery of critical minerals like uranium from industrial wastewater. The work seeks to improve the health of ecosystems and meet a growing demand for nuclear fuel.

Additional Publications: Nuclear Power Daily

This Old House

Ask An Expert: What factors should homeowners consider when choosing a solar company?

Carrick Eggleston, professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering, provided analysis for an article in This Old House about solar companies. Eggleston offered insight to homeowners to guide their selection of a solar company and suggestions on factors to consider including efficiency, cost, and maintenance.

Telegram.com

WPI robot helps power Hollywood movie 'Rule Breakers'

If you see the movie Rule Breakers, look for a robot developed in 2022 by a student and professor from the robotics engineering program. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported on the student research work that drew movie producers to the program; and ultimately led to WPI's unique contribution to the film about Afghanistan’s first all-female robotics team and its inspiring journey to international competitions.

Theory. Practice. Impact.