Experiential PhD
  Industry Partners |
  PhD Students |
  Faculty Advisors |
| Support professional growth of next generation of industry innovators and leaders via use-inspired research as well as obtain new knowledge in both current and emerging areas. | Conduct doctorate-level use-inspired research on real-world, challenging, technical problems to provide practical solutions while gaining industry skills and practice. | Actively collaborate with industry on real-world problems, mentor the next generation of industry innovators and leaders, and advance the state-of-the-art in one or more disciplines. |
Travis Collins
PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2016
“Working in the industry during my studies provided me with perspective on my classes and helped me build bridges with employers. These jobs helped me mold my class load and research to get me to the career I wanted once I completed school.”
Di Pu
“The PhD program at WPI not only means cutting-edge research; it is also a place where I learnt to think, to collaborate, and to solve problems.”
Ronish Shrestha
PhD Student in Chemical Engineering
“Interning at Saint-Gobain not only provided industry exposure, but also added unique perspectives for research. Focusing on the big takeaways, investigating market needs, and communicating effectively are essential skills for future projects.”
Bengi Aygun Green
“The deep technical knowledge and thorough research discipline I gained at WPI empowers me to succeed in my work at companies in the forefront of my research field.”
Victor K. Champagne, Jr.
PhD, FASM International
PhD in Manufacturing Engineering in 2018
“The most outstanding attribute of the WPI educational experience was the direct connection to the real world. I was able to solve a scientific problem that was later transitioned and for me that was extremely rewarding.”
Aaron Birt
PhD in Material Science and Engineering 2017
“The unique experience that WPI offers to join industry partners with graduate students in a PhD program provides a unique perspective that is rarely attained in graduate studies; students are given all of the tools and resources of the university to pursue science, while at the same time they remain grounded by the needs of industry to generate shorter term impacts with engineering solutions.”
- Danielle Cote, PhD
- Assistant Professor in Materials Science & Engineering
Meet our Faculty
The Musacchio research group is interested in utilizing radical intermediates to find common ground between organic chemistry and chemical biology. Specifically, we are interested in developing radical-mediated methodologies for complex molecule synthesis, identifying new bioconjugation strategies, and establishing radical-mediate biocatalysis systems.
As a systems engineer I view optimizing engineering endeavors as going beyond algorithmic optimization to include a humanitarian mission, using systems engineering tools, patterns, techniques, methods, themes, and philosophies to do policy modeling, all with the common goal of mission success. While engineering tools have brought about much excellence and productivity, we haven't always applied these powerful tools to goals such as human diversity in engineering, or looking at the full human as a participant in the human workforce.
My research is in the broad, interdisciplinary field of synthetic biology, which applies engineering principles to biology. Within this field, we apply chemical engineering tenets to reprogram the DNA of yeasts, bacteria, and fungi so their metabolism produces interesting molecules. By treating these cells as "chemical factories," we can approach and solve problems in biofuels, biomaterials, and biosensors from a chemical engineer's point of view.