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About us

Facilities & Labs

The MSE department has more than 25,000 square feet of research and lab space, including the the GEMSEC Materials Characterization Labs.

Many of our labs are housed in Roberts Hall. Roberts is conveniently located near UW engineering buildings, the Husky Union Building (HUB), the Burke-Gilman Trail, and the UW Intramural Activities building.

Undergraduate Labs and Shops

The MSE Undergraduate Labs, Composite Shop, and Machine Shop offer a variety of fabrication and testing equipment for students and researchers. These resources help students learn by doing, allowing them to put into practice concepts from the classroom.

Related Facilities Around Campus

Center for Intelligent Materials and Systems (CIMS) »
A partnership between the College of Engineering and the Department of Botany for investigation of the design of actuator materials, actuators, and bio-inspired design of intelligent materials and systems.
Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials in Transport Aircraft Structures (AMTAS) »
A consortium of academic institutions, aerospace companies, and government agencies for research on existing, near- and long-term applications of composites and advanced materials for large transport commercial aircraft.
Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Facility »
A wide variety of analytical services available to the UW and community, ranging from qualitative sample analysis, unknown sample analysis to quantitative assays. Hands-on training and walk-on usage of most of the instruments are available.
Chemistry Spectroscopic and Analytical Instrumentation Facility »
Analytical and instructional expertise in spectrometric techniques and instrumentation, available to the UW and community. Provides investigators with hands-on training and ready access to the modern instrumentation necessary to achieve their research goals.
Clean Energy Institute »
A UW-based research institute for accelerating the adoption of clean energy practices by advancing next generation solar energy and electrical energy storage materials, devices and systems, as well as their integration with the grid. The CEI focuses on generating clean energy innovations while facilitating the pathways to bring them to market.
Hyak Computer Cluster »
A shared, high-performance computer cluster dedicated to research computing at UW. Particularly useful for workloads needing long, uninterrupted run times on 100 to 1,000 CPU cores, fast calculations and large data sets. Faculty can purchase nodes on Hyak as an alternative to deploying and operating their own high-performance systems.
Keck Microscopy Facility »
A facility for training on and access to light microscopy instrumentation for the UW and community. Instrumentation includes confocal, widefield, and image restoration (deconvolution) microscopes. Access to image processing and analysis computers and software is also available.
Molecular Analysis Facility (MAF) »
A fully staffed instrumentation facility for users from the UW, other universities, and industry. Capabilities include microscopy, spectroscopy, and surface science. Users can be trained to independently perform experiments, or an experienced staff member can perform experiments for you.
Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute »
MolES brings together faculty teams from across UW to catalyze translational research and establish interdisciplinary programs in the CleanTech and BioTech areas. Provides shared instrumentation for characterization and analysis as part of the Molecular Analysis Facility in the ground floor of the Molecular Engineering & Sciences Building.
Molecular Engineering Materials Center (MEM·C) »
MEM·C coordinates research efforts among two colleges and five departments across UW’s campus and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to address major trans-disciplinary challenges in materials research.
NMR Facility »
An assortment of spectrometers with versatile capabilities for use by UW and community researchers. A 200 MHz two-channel spectrometer is earmarked specially for student training.
Photonics Research Center »
A multi-user, shared research facility with state-of-the art equipment for fabrication, materials characterization, and device testing associated with thin film optoelectronic devices. The center facilitates research and development of organic electronic and optoelectronic devices such as thin-film transistors, energy efficient light-emitting diodes, and solar cells. At the core of the facility are two inert atmosphere processing and thin-film deposition systems that allow for sample preparation and device testing without exposing samples to water and oxygen.
Washington Clean Energy Testbeds »
An open-access facility providing equipment and instrumentation for device fabrication, testing and characterization. Researchers can design, develop, and manufacture solar, battery, and other clean energy technologies in a state-of-the-art laboratory located just off campus by University Village. The facility is open to all students, postdocs, staff scientists and non-university researchers.
Washington Nanofabrication Facility »
A national user facility that is a part of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI). UW WNF is a full service micro and nanotechnology user facility and is the largest public access fabrication center in the Pacific Northwest, with 15,000 sf of laboratories, cleanrooms, and user spaces.