The Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering at IIT Hyderabad is a premier hub for education and research in materials and metallurgical science and engineering. With 21 full-time faculty members, one Professor of Practice, four Distinguished Professors, and four Adjunct Professors, the department is well-equipped to offer diverse and cutting-edge academic programs. We offer B.Tech. and M.Tech. courses in Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, and a specialized M.Tech. in Semiconductor Materials and Devices. We also provide an online M.Tech. in Industrial Metallurgy designed for industry professionals, as well as an interdisciplinary M.Tech. in Integrated Computational Materials Engineering, also tailored for industry professionals. In collaboration with the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Biotechnology, we offer an interdisciplinary B.Tech. program in Computational Engineering.
Additionally, in partnership with the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Design, we offer an M.Tech. in Additive Manufacturing. We have also recently launched an interdisciplinary M.Tech. in Lightweighting Technology with the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The department is also actively involved in organizing training programs, such as the recently organized SPARC workshop on Semiconductors.
Since its inception, the department has been deeply engaged in groundbreaking research. Key focus areas include the design and development of advanced materials like high entropy alloys, creep-resistant steels, multiferroics, and nanostructures for applications in aerospace, defense, and spintronics. Pioneering research encompasses interdiffusion studies, microstructural simulations using GPU-accelerated models, and sustainable metallurgy, including green steelmaking and e-waste processing. Our faculty have received numerous prestigious national and international awards in recognition of their excellence in research and contributions to science and engineering. These accolades include the SERB STAR Award, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellowship, INSA Young Scientist Award, INSA Associate Fellowships, Ramanujan Fellowship (DST), ASM-IIM Visiting Lectureship Award, DAAD Research Ambassadorship, Fellowship of INAE, Promising Young Powder Metallurgy Professional Award, SERB Women Excellence Award, and Institute Awards for Teaching and Research Excellence. The fact that several of our alumni have become faculty members at various IITs is a testament to the department’s research and teaching excellence.
Our department boasts state-of-the-art facilities, including transmission electron microscopes, scanning electron microscopes, focused ion beam systems, thin-film XRD, a Physical Property Measurement System, sputtering, CVD and PLD systems, a high-temperature nanoindenter, high-temperature UTM with DIC, rolling mills, and advanced computational tools like ThermoCalc, VASP, and our in-house MicroSim software for computational modeling. With a strong focus on innovation, the department has produced 54 PhD graduates, published 580 papers in reputed journals, and secured 299 sponsored research projects with a total funding of ₹132 crores. Our key research thrusts include the development of novel alloys for critical industries (defence, aerospace, automotive), the design and fabrication of functional materials and devices (spintronics, thermoelectrics, flexible electronics), multiscale modeling of materials and defects, sustainable metallurgy and green steelmaking, advanced manufacturing techniques such as metal additive manufacturing, and the application of cutting-edge characterization techniques.