Meet Our MSE Founders: How It All Began

The history of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas began in 2003 with three founders: Dr. Bruce E. Gnade, Dr. Moon J. Kim and Dr. Robert M. Wallace within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Their hirings further strengthened the chemistry, physics and materials science areas of expertise within the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and was crucial to developing a vibrant research program in micro- and nanoelectronics. In addition to teaching and writing proposals, our founders were heavily involved in developing new instrumentation, designing the Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory (NSERL) and UT Dallas Cleanroom Laboratory, among many others. Their goal to establish a distinct department for materials science and engineering was achieved in only five years.

The program was formally established and independently recognized as the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) in September 2008, with Dr. Yves Chabal as the inaugural department chair. At that time, there were seven core faculty members who had a marked strength in growth and synthesis capabilities including molecular beam epitaxy, atomic layer deposition and wet chemistry, materials and device characterization and first principles materials modeling.

Since the department’s inception, the University has doubled in size while becoming a “Tier One” research institution. MSE has been key to that success. The research areas, faculty and culture of our department continues to evolve and adapt to a constantly changing world. The vision of our founders in produce engaged graduates who are prepared for life, work and leadership will never change.

This year, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering will establish the MSE Founders Fellowship in honor of our founders to support new outstanding MSE graduate students who contribute to a culture of academic excellence and community engagement. Please join us in supporting the MSE Founders Fellowship to continue their vision and legacy.