George S. Ansell Department of Metallurgical
and Materials Engineering

Everything is made of materials, so better materials make better products, from bridges to phones to medical devices and everything in between. Metallurgical and Materials Engineers make the stuff that allows other engineers to make their stuff better, so we are needed by every industry, government lab, or research institution, and our graduates have limitless opportunities for fulfilling and impactful careers. We turn raw materials, such as ores or used products in need of recycling, into valuable and sustainable high-performance products that enable the latest technological advancements in energy generation and storage, safer and more efficient cars and trucks, higher speed wireless communication, stronger and lighter aerospace alloys, devices for quantum computing, and many others. Internationally recognized faculty guide our undergraduate and graduate students focused on metals and ceramics. Undergraduates have hands-on opportunities for research experiences using our world-class facilities and wide range of equipment. For example, we can fabricate parts as large as people and grow and measure films one atomic layer at a time; test and shape materials with over 400,000 pounds of force and use supercomputers to predict and understand new materials. We even have a hot shop for learning glassblowing and blacksmithing. If you want to make the world better, it all starts with better materials. 

Mission: Develop engineers and scientists who make a positive impact on the world by providing a fundamentally sound and industrially relevant education and conducting world-class research in metals and ceramics while embracing sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and access.

Vision: To be a world-renowned and diverse Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department recognized for student success, research accomplishments, and alumni achievement and affinity.

George S. Ansell Department of Metallurgical
and Materials Engineering

Metallurgical and materials engineering plays a role in all manufacturing processes which convert raw materials into useful products adapted to human needs. The primary goal of the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering program is to provide students with a fundamental knowledge-base associated with materials-processing, their properties, and their selection and application.

The emphasis in the department is on teaching and research focused toward materials processing operations which encompass: the conversion of mineral and chemical resources into metallic, ceramic or polymeric materials; the synthesis of new materials; refining and processing to produce high performance materials for applications from consumer products to automobiles, aerospace and electronics; the development of mechanical, chemical and physical properties of materials related to their processing and structure; and the selection of materials for specific applications.

A Welcome Message

Welcome to the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering!  Our historic name reflects Mines’ role in shaping metallurgy over the last nearly 150 years. Since the early days of supporting the Colorado gold and silver mining industries, which we still do, we’ve evolved to an internationally recognized faculty in metals in ceramics who run our world-class undergraduate and graduate degree programs in metals and ceramics. Research and education topics span applications like, aerospace alloys, light weight automotive sheet steel, ceramic fuel cells, electroceramics, and armor. We go all the way from atoms to real materials! Our mission is to offer students the fundamentals that enable them to become materials engineers and scientists in an emerging new world that embraces sustainability, diversity, inclusion and access.

If you are one of our esteemed alumni, I welcome you to connect with us if you have not recently.  If you are a student who has not yet decided on a major or career, I encourage you to reach out and see what we’re about! You will find a super-friendly and knowledgeable staff, a great group of professors, and some fantastic laboratory facilities. I’m pleased to announce that we are investing in an enhancement in ceramics education at Mines.  Look for more details this fall.

Please welcome our newest faculty members: Professor Lawrence Cho comes to us from the National Institute of Standards and Technology where he worked as a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow and then as an associate researcher. He was at Mines as a research assistant professor before joining our tenure track faculty in May 2024. Professor Cho earned his PhD at the Graduate Institute of Ferrous Technology at Pohan University of Science and Technology in South Korea. He has extensive experience with ferrous metallurgy, especially the effect of hydrogen on processing and properties. Professor Xiaole Guo earned his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Ohio State University and specializes in corrosion. Before joining the Mines faculty in August 2024, he was Deputy Director of the Energy frontier Research Center at Ohio State and served as a Research Associate there for several years. He is an expert in aqueous corrosion, molten salt corrosion and high temperature oxidation.

Please stop by Hill Hall if you are in Golden.

Ivar Reimanis

Department Head

MME Graduates By the Numbers

MINES@150 

In 2024, the year of our 150th anniversary, we will celebrate Colorado School of Mines’ past, present and possibilities. By celebrating and supporting the Campaign for MINES@150 you will help elevate Mines to be an accessible, top-of-mind and first-choice for students, faculty, staff, recruiters and other external partners.  When you give, you are ensuring Mines becomes even more distinctive and highly sought-after by future students, alumni, industry, and government partners over the next 150 years. We look forward to celebrating Mines’ sesquicentennial with you and recognizing the key role you play in making the MINES@150 vision a reality through your investments of time, talent and treasure.

Department Highlights