Research Opportunities in Engineering

To unlock the technologies of tomorrow, faculty, staff, and students in UW-Madison Department of Materials Science and Engineering engineering materials with revolutionary properties—from alloys that survive extreme environments, to medical devices powered by motion, to lithium-free batteries, to quantum materials that will reshape computing, imaging, and sensing. What stood out most is MS&E’s deeply collaborative culture. The department’s internationally recognized National Science Foundation (NSF) Materials Research and Science Center (#MRSEC) brings together industry partners and 30 faculty across UW–Madison to pursue fundamental discoveries and prepare the next generation of materials engineers. I was honored to explore some of these engineering breakthroughs firsthand: Additional Highlights • Dan Thoma demonstrated the game-changing potential of additive manufacturing and its ability to 3D-print alloys for everything from custom aviation components to advanced medical devices. • Chang-Beom Eom gave me a masterclass in thin-film epitaxy—showing how layering 2D quantum materials like transition metal oxides leads to novel electronic and magnetic behaviors. • Jason Kawasaki showed how stretching or straining ultra-thin crystalline materials unlocks new states relevant for quantum and superconducting computing. • Hyunseok Oh, a next-generation metallurgist, described his research on high-entropy alloys engineered to withstand extreme heat, perform in space, and improve recyclability. • In the Wisconsin Centers for Nanoscale Technology, Paul Voyles showcased cutting-edge imaging tools—advanced microscopy, spectroscopy, and x-ray analysis—that empower faculty and students to visualize materials at the atomic scale. • A visit to the MS&E undergraduate lab revealed major equipment upgrades and a bold, student-centered vision for transforming the undergraduate experience. • Dane Morgan discussed how AI is revolutionizing materials research—accelerating property prediction, atomic-level simulations, and data discovery by up to 100x. • He also shared his work with Adam Nelson and the Data Science Institute to launch the Wisconsin Undergraduate Research in Data Science (WISCURDS), the evolution of the Informatics Skunkworks. This initiative prepares undergraduates for data-driven research through real projects, teamwork, project management, and applied data science—skills shaping the future of engineering. The innovations I saw are foundational to our #EngineeringMoonshots and the future of UW-Madison College of Engineering’s leadership. Thank you to Izabela Szlufarska for your visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to our students. On, Wisconsin! #TheBadgerWay #EngineeringTheFuture #MaterialsRocks #MaterialScienceInnovation

Turn Climate Risk into Resilience—Your Research Can Change How the World Copes If your work can keep cities running through heatwaves, prevent cascading infrastructure failures, or craft policies that protect the most vulnerable, this call is your launchpad to real-world impact. Risk Sciences and Advances in Climate Change Research (ACCR) invite submissions to a joint special issue—Building Resilience Against Climate Risks—focused on the science, policy, and practice needed to withstand a warming world. We welcome original research, reviews, and case studies that advance actionable resilience and sustainable adaptation across sectors and scales. 🔎 What we’re looking for (including but not limited to): · Vulnerability, exposure, hazards, and responses in complex systems—e.g., risk assessment for civil and critical infrastructure, instability across ecological/economic/technological systems, and cascading risks and interdependencies. · Impacts on social systems—health and mental health, social cohesion and political stability, migration and displacement, and effects on firm value and corporate strategies. · Methodologies to enhance recovery and adaptive capacity—innovative resilience approaches, tools and frameworks, and lessons from disaster recovery and rebuilding. · Adaptation design and evaluation—trade-offs, unintended consequences, and mitigating maladaptation, plus the roles of technology, policy, and governance. · Social welfare and equity—how disasters strain systems, ensuring equitable access to resources, and the intersection of climate resilience and social justice. · Pathways to resilient, sustainable societies and capacity building for compounding climate risks (CCRs)—including quantitative assessment, drivers, and response strategies. 🔎 Why this venue: · Interdisciplinary reach across engineering, economics, health, finance, governance, and more. · Global editorial leadership spanning Tsinghua University, University of Gothenburg, NTU Singapore, University of Duisburg–Essen, and UAB. · Real impact: from rigorous methods to policies and practices that decision-makers can deploy. 💡 Submission details: · Article types: original research, reviews, and case studies. · How to submit: online—select “VSI: Resilience.” · Peer review: papers undergo the regular blind review processes of Risk Sciences and ACCR (separately). · Deadline: March 1, 2026. Ready to help societies weather the next shock—and the ones after it? Learn more and submit here: https://lnkd.in/gsMZiStz #risksciences #AdvancesinClimateChangeResearch #ACCR #climate #climaterisk #climatechange #ComplexSystems #SocialSystems #RecoveryCapacities #AdaptationMeasures #SocialWelfareSystems #Inequalities #compoundingclimaterisks #CCRS #Resilient #SustainableSociety

DARPA's budget for 2026 is $4.9 billion, a 12% jump from 2025. The majority of the budget is for basic research, applied R&D, and next-gen tech development. Here are the funding opportunities currently open: 1. Smart Red Blood Cells - Engineer red blood cells to contain novel biological features that can safely, temporarily, and reliably alter human physiology.   PM: Christopher Bettinger | Deadline: 1/13/2026 | https://lnkd.in/dQg43Gzv 2. Generative Optogenetics - Design proteins that can be expressed in living cells and respond to optical signals to synthesize DNA and RNA. PM: Matthew Pava | Deadline: 2/26/2026 | https://lnkd.in/daPAGPA7 3. Nitric Acid Production - Seeking fast, energy efficient, and decentralized manufacturing methods for nitric acid manufacturing.   PM: Keith Whitener | Deadline: 2/5/2026 | https://lnkd.in/drdHR5be 4. Crystal Growth - Seeking new tools and techniques to enable the rapid development of single crystal complex inorganic materials at scale. PM: Huanan Zhang | Deadline: 1/30/2026 | https://lnkd.in/dccrMuaM 5. Quantum Computing - Seeking quantum computing approach that can achieve utility-scale operation, where computational value exceeds cost. PM: Joseph Altepeter | Deadline: 11/14/2026 | https://lnkd.in/db7qgckN 6. Nuclear Fusion - Seeking technologies that amplify and increase the rates of nuclear fusion reactions in solids.   PM: Thomas Schenkel | Deadline: 3/14/2026 | https://lnkd.in/dVFmMjjX 7. Radar Technologies - Seeking new sensing modes that enable better detection and tracking of low-flying air vehicles and slow-moving maritime vessels in the Arctic environment.   PM: Frank Robey | Deadline: 1/30/2026 | https://lnkd.in/difumVzV 8. Heavy Vertical Lift Aviation - Seeking novel drone designs that can carry payloads more than four times their weight, which would revolutionize the way we use drones across all sectors.   Prize: $6.5M | Deadline: 5/1/2026 | https://lnkd.in/dJ2RhHjC 9. Young Faculty Award (YFA) 2026 - The YFA program aims to identify and engage rising stars in junior research positions in academia and equivalent positions at non-profit research institutions.   Deadline: 1/20/2026 | https://lnkd.in/dmg_CNqB In addition, DARPA seeks revolutionary research ideas not being addressed by ongoing programs. See links below to learn more: ▫️ Biological Technologies Office | https://lnkd.in/dgG2mzup ▫️ Defense Sciences Office | https://lnkd.in/dHyM-bBE ▫️ Information Innovation Office | https://lnkd.in/dVDqKj5P ▫️ Microsystems Technologies Office | https://lnkd.in/gQNq6zi5 ▫️ Strategic Technologies Office | https://lnkd.in/dwtp_Uym ▫️ Tactical Technologies Office | https://lnkd.in/g6UZ2v5m Feel free to share these opportunities with those who might find them helpful.

5 POWERFUL Ways to Gain Research Experience for a Fully Funded PhD👩🔬📚📊 1️⃣ Become a Research Assistant—Even Remotely Professors always need help with their research, and many offer remote opportunities, especially in fields like AI, bioinformatics, economics, psychology, and computational sciences. 🔹 How to find these roles? ✔ Cold email professors (with a tailored email explaining how your skills fit their work). ✔ Check out programs like DAAD RISE, Mitacs, NSF REU, SRFP, and university websites. ✔ Search Twitter (X) and LinkedIn—many researchers post about hiring RAs! Even a short research assistantship strengthens your PhD application immensely 2️⃣ Publish—Even If You’re Not in a Lab You don’t need a fancy lab setup to publish a paper! There are multiple ways to demonstrate research potential: 🔬 Review Papers: Write an in-depth literature review on a niche topic in your field and submit it to a journal. 📊 Meta-Analysis: Use publicly available datasets to analyze trends in your area of interest. 🚀 Preprints & Conferences: Submit your work to arXiv, SSRN, or ResearchGate, or present at virtual research conferences. 💡 A single publication can instantly boost your credibility and make professors take you seriously. 3️⃣ Secure a Research-Driven Industry Internship Who says research only happens in academia? Tech giants, pharma companies, think tanks, and startups all conduct cutting-edge research. 🔥 Top industry research programs: ✔ Google AI Residency ✔ Microsoft Research Internships ✔ Pfizer R&D Summer Internship ✔ World Bank Research Assistantships Industry research proves you can handle real-world problem-solving—something many PhD programs LOVE. 4️⃣ Design & Execute Your Own Research Project Can’t get into a lab? No problem. Create your own research project! 🔹 Use open datasets from Kaggle, NIH, WHO, or NASA and analyze them. 🔹 Work on citizen science projects like Zooniverse. 🔹 Team up with researchers online via GitHub, Reddit, or specialized forums. Some students have even published independent research projects and landed PhD offers based on their initiative. 💡 No one will give you research experience. You have to create it. 5️⃣ Attend Fully Funded Summer Schools & Research Workshops Many summer research schools accept students with zero prior research experience—and they even fund your participation! 🌍 Top research-based summer schools: ✔ Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Summer Courses (Biology & Medicine) ✔ CERN Summer Student Program (Physics & Engineering) ✔ ETH Zurich Summer Research Fellowship (Computer Science & Engineering) These programs connect you with top researchers, give you hands-on experience, and build your academic credibility. 🔥 Final Takeaway: CREATE Your Research Opportunities! Your PhD admission doesn’t depend on where you studied—it depends on what research you’ve done.