The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Harvard University is a highly multidisciplinary research Center with participants from seven different schools and departments. The Center has a broad range of research activities from soft materials to biological materials.
The research of the Harvard MRSEC is organized into three interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs):
IRG 1: Micromechanics to explore the fascinating and technologically important mechanical behavior of systems where phenomena at very short length scales impact the materials properties and mechanics at macroscopic length scales.
IRG 2: Droplet Templated Materials utilize microfluidic devices, or devices that control the flow of fluids at micron length scales, to produce new structures that are of use for delivery of drugs and other active ingredients that must be protected from their environment prior to delivery.
IRG 3: Active Soft Materials addressing materials science required to create soft robotics, which are machines that can adapt to new geometries while still providing function.
The MRSEC supports a vigorous program to educate and inspire the public about materials science. The MRSEC offers novel programs for high school teachers and research opportunities for undergraduates from all over the US. A collaborative Partnerships in Research and Education in Materials program with University of New Mexico attracts underrepresented minority undergraduates to a Summer Program at Harvard. The rigorous scholarship emblematic of the Harvard MRSEC ensures that the excellent students and postdoctoral fellows in the Center will become leaders of the next generation of scientists and engineers.
The MRSEC has extensive collaboration with industry, both with large, established companies and with start-up firms that are inspired by the work of the Center. The MRSEC also collaborates with some equipment manufacturers to build an enhanced shared experimental facility for soft materials research.
