Jul 9, 2020
Dear colleagues,
On behalf of Chancellor Gillman, we are pleased to announce that the National Science Foundation has funded a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at UCI. With this $18 million landmark achievement, UCI will join 19 other MRSECs in conducting state-of-the-art interdisciplinary materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering.
UCI is uniquely positioned to foster a highly successful MRSEC due to its world-class materials characterization facilities at the Irvine Materials Research Institute (IMRI), which has greatly increased our standing as a major hub for materials research and innovation. The UCI MRSEC will provide unprecedented opportunities to discover and develop transformational new materials with novel functionalities through atomic-level structural design and electronic control to address grand challenges in advanced manufacturing, human health and national defense. It will strengthen our materials research facilities and leverage the recently established transmission electron microscopy facilities. A strong education and outreach component will help promote UCI’s research excellence and its culture through diversity and inclusion at all levels within our faculty, students and staff. The Center will create opportunities to attract and train a diverse group of next-generation scientists and engineers in interdisciplinary materials research.
Many UCI faculty, staff and administrators collaborated extensively during the long process of the project proposal preparation and review. We would like to recognize Xiaoqing Pan, Director of IMRI and Henry Samueli Endowed Chair in Engineering, and the entire team, for their dedicated leadership and contributions to this esteemed accomplishment.
Sincerely,
Hal S. Stern, Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Chancellor’s Professor, Department of Statistics
Pramod P. Khargonekar
Vice Chancellor for Research
Distinguished Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science