The MIT Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) pursues disruption through materials, seeking to realize societal benefits by disrupting critical technologies. The MRSEC identifies opportunities for disruption through research in two complementary lines of materials research: (1) medical imaging, and (2) metals production and semiconductor synthesis. In the first line of research, the team models, designs, and fabricates X-ray detector materials at the nanometer (one billionth of a meter) scale; this allows tremendous gains in the resolution of X-ray-based medical imaging, which in turn improves diagnoses and reduces cancer risk. In the second line of research, the team develops a fundamental understanding of high temperature sulfur-based liquids; this improves the yield and efficiency of producing critical metals such as copper, iron, and neodymium, and also enables scalable synthesis and manufacturing of sulfur-based semiconductors that are relevant for energy conversion technologies. Additional opportunities for disruptive real-world impact are pursued through an Industry-Academia Collaborative Seed Program. Beyond materials research, The MIT MRSEC is also a hub for outreach and hands-on education and training. It develops a public outreach effort that tells stories of real-world historical disasters caused by materials failure, and how subsequent disasters have been averted through disruptive breakthroughs in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). Its multi-tiered internship program targets gaps in MSE education, facilitates pathways to MSE careers across skill levels, and delivers specific outcomes for participation with quantifiable cross-sector impact including industry internships.
