Faculty & Research

With a world of problems to solve, there are clear advantages to going beyond national borders to investigate issues and team with like-minded experts. WPI researchers are broadening international perspectives and forging strong research collaborations with peers throughout China. These joint efforts not only further our work, but also provide rich experiences for students and offer opportunities for international recognition.

Faculty Research

Chinese Studies: By researching pressing issues in Chinese politics, international relations, and development, as well as important trends in communication and environmental sustainability, WPI faculty help shape scholarly debates and US policy. Findings inform current U.S.-China relations and explore attitudes towards broader topics such as environmental sustainability and cross-cultural communication.

Engineering: Through research activities in the area of Computer-aided Manufacturing, WPI faculty is challenging best practices in manufacturing processes for the advancement of a global economy.

Energy: A multinational team of faculty and students, led by WPI, participated in the 2013 Solar Decathlon China competition (in Datong City, Shanxi, PRC), successfully building a net-zero energy house. The design effectively incorporated traditional Chinese architectural tenets and the team placed 8th overall. The achievements of the Solar Decathlon team tangibly demonstrated WPI’s commitment to the development of sources of energy and energy utilization that facilitate sustainable living.

Business and Supply Chain: WPI School of Business faculty recognizes the undeniable importance of China in international business practice and strategy. They use Chinese case studies and conduct research in China to learn how processes like supply chain and operations management impact businesses locally and globally.

WPI’s focus on solving real-world problems cannot be achieved if we do not interact with the world around us to discover the relevant problems and uncover alternate solutions.

Karen Kashmanian Oates

University Peterson Family

Dean of Arts and Sciences

Research Collaboration

WPI faculty researchers coordinate various efforts on campus and abroad that establish connections with Chinese universities and industries to cultivate meaningful research collaborations and fruitful intellectual exchanges.

ON CAMPUS, our Metal Processing Institute (MPI), a university-industry alliance that advances the state of the art in metal processing and materials recovery, has strategic alliances with China’s State Key Laboratories at two prestigious Chinese universities that enable us to combine our shared and unique strengths.

IN CHINA, WPI is engaged in unique and innovative collaborations like the Research Center for Operations and Productivity Management, a joint research center located at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). Here, WPI faculty guide U.S. and Chinese students on developing new tools and methods that provides pioneering solutions to global business problems.