Dean's Message

Transforming, transmitting and utilizing energetic content, from kinetic to internal energy, is at the heart of energy engineering: from wind turbines to combustion to nuclear reactors to the capture and transformation of solar energy. At the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, energy research addresses sides of the energy equation: On the supply side, by focusing on solar energy systems, on carbon capture and sequestration and on improving efficiencies in energy extraction. On the demand side by improving efficiencies in utilization in various settings, particularly transportation and urban systems.

One major change has entered the field in recent decades. The breathtaking advances in information technology in the recent decade and the continuous unlocking of mysteries at the nano- and biomolecular scales promise unprecedented discoveries that will lead to a much needed overhaul of the energy field. Smart solutions in the information age demands the use of information-age tools. These tools are now in our hands. We need to use them.

Our research involves specific energy-targeted projects, as well as generic research in materials science and in biochemical engineering, with specific examples detailed below. Our strategy leverages Viterbi faculty strengths in specific fields, including materials science, reacting flows, information technology, electrical engineering, reservoir engineering, systems engineering and computer engineering and computer science. It also considers USC’s location in a metropolitan, mega-city environment — where the sun shines brightly, but its energy falls almost unused.

We hope this overview of what we are doing in the field is useful.

Yannis Yortsos, Dean, Viterbi School of Engineering