Challenge. Opportunity. Choice. Excellence. The Future.
The University of Utah TreadPort Active Wind Tunnel (TPAWT, pronounced “teapot”) is unique by virtue of adding a controllable two-dimensional wind tunnel to the existing TreadPort system. Research implications such as emergency response, training first responders how to locate contaminates, rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries, training, psychological studies, optimize the design of cities for air quality and energy efficiency, exercise, and even recreation.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah offers a premier graduate program within the state. Our graduate students are actively engaged in finding creative solutions to real-life problems. Working with state-of-the-art equipment and guided by faculty members, you can become part of a world-class research team. This leads to big opportunities for our graduates to produce the technology of the future and improve human lives.
The University of Utah is consistently ranked among the top American Universities in overall funded research and graduate students are an essential part of every research team. Our nationally recognized faculty, research, and graduate programs provide an environment where fundamentals become reality.
How does the U compare?
The University of Utah is the flagship institution of higher education in Utah. The U currently serves over 31,000 students from all over the country and the world. The U offers over 90 majors at the graduate level. The U has been recognized on a national and global level by being ranked among the top 100 universities in the world.
U of U Rankings
Our Research
Controls & Robotics
Robotics is the intelligent connection of perception to action. The School of Computing and the Department of Mechanical Engineering are pleased to jointly offer the second graduate program in robotics in the US, with a curriculum that imparts fundamental knowledge about robotics and specific courses in perception, cognition, and action. Reflecting robotics’ interdisciplinary nature, the Robotics Track faculty and the curriculum show equal involvement from the School of Computing and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. A varied research program addresses diverse topics such as intelligent agents, hybrid mobile robots, humanoid robots, haptic interfaces, and personal assistive devices.
Design, Ergonomics, Manufacturing, & Systems
Students in this division study a wide array of topics, from integrating computer aided design and manufacturing tools to crafting machines that help people work more safely and efficiently. The Center for Engineering Design is a world renowned organization which is extremely active in the area of applied robotics and micro-electrical-mechanical systems.
Learn more →Solid Mechanics
Students in Solid Mechanics study the behavior of solid materials and objects such as beams, shafts, columns, and structures. They research how these objects break, shatter, fracture, bend, and splatter. Then they learn how to make these objects fail-resistant and how to develop new materials for use by society.
Learn more →Thermal Fluids & Energy Systems
The TFES Division has active, well funded programs in the areas of bioheat transfer, combustion, wind turbine design, air-born pollutant transport, acoustics, rocket propulsion, gas turbine heat transfer, and the physics and modeling of turbulence. The Department also has strong research in sustainable energy. We also have connections to the Center for Sustainability Research, which stimulates multidisciplinary research across campus.
Learn more →
Specific Research Topics Include:
- Biomechanical Engineering
- Composite Materials
- Controls
- Design
- Energy Systems
- Ergonomics & Safety
- Fluid Mechanics
- Heat Transfer
- Manufacturing
- Microsystems & Nanosystems
- Thermodynamics
- Robotics
- Solid Mechanics
- Systems Engineering
