UC Berkeley; Materials Science & Engineering Department

Highlights from commencement week 🎓 Congratulations Class of 2026! 💙💛

Biodegradable fabric research team led by Prof. Ting Xu awarded $10 million from Bezos Earth Fund.

In a bold effort to address the growing challenge of textile waste in landfills, the Bezos Earth Fund has awarded $10 million to research led by Prof. Xu and team at UC Berkeley an Californian universities, to develop biodegradable fibers that can rival the strength and flexibility of natural materials.

https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/04/24/uc-berkeley-led-biodegradable-fabric-research-awarded-10-million-from-bezos-earth-fund/

Prof. Kristin Persson elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Academy recognizes accomplished individuals and engages them in addressing the greatest challenges facing the U.S. Prof. Persson uses machine learning, experimental data and computational databases to design and create new materials for energy applications, such as highly efficient batteries, photovoltaics and catalysts.

https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/04/24/seven-uc-berkeley-faculty-elected-to-the-american-academy-of-arts-and-sciences/

MSE Seminar: Electrolyte engineering for energy-relevant transformations with Prof. Amanchukwu. Thursday, April 23, 2026, 4pm-5pm at Jarvis Auditorium, Grimes Engineering Center.

MSE Seminar: Resolving Charge Dynamics Across Space and Time in Renewable Energy Materials with Prof. Scott Cushing from Caltech. Thursday, April 16, 2026, 4pm-5pm PT at Jarvis Auditorium, Grimes Engineering Center.

Dr. Hiroshi Amano delivered the 2026 Dow lecture in MSE

The Dow Lectureship for Research Excellence and Societal Impact was endowed by Dow Chemical Company in 2008 to highlight the critical role of materials science in advancing technologies that improve quality of life, such as in energy and sustainability.

Dr. Hiroshi Amano, co-inventor of the blue LED, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014, one of the mist influential scientists in modern optoelectronics, delivered this year’s Dow lecture.

Dr. Amano’s lecture was both intellectually profound and deeply inspiring. Our students were tremendously inspired, by the scientific achievements he shared, as well as his humility and genuine enthusiasm for supporting the next generation of researchers.

Berkeley’s Materials Science & Engineering graduate program is ranked #3 in the U.S. in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings, reflecting its excellence in research, faculty, and student outcomes.

Read article here: https://engineering.berkeley.edu/about/rankings/

Join the Department today for the Dow Lecture with Prof. Hiroshi Amano at 4pm in Jarvis Auditorium.

seminar happening today at 4pm in Jarvis Auditorium with Dr. Matt Rogers and Dr. Zacharias.

Unlock $10,000 for the Materials Science & Engineering department with 30 gifts: Lili Kan and Conrad Kong will donate $10,000 to the department once 30 gifts are made.

Make a gift to MSE here: https://give.berkeley.edu/fund/FN3247000?ac=92887