Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Fall 2022 USC Mork Family Department newsletter. Our department was formed in 2005 by the merger of Chemical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, and Materials Science, and our growth was supported by the generous gift of John Mork and his family. Like the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, our efforts are directed at three primary missions — excellence in research, teaching, and service — and many of our efforts address the critical issues facing society today.

This has been an exciting year as we celebrate the grand opening of our new facilities for the John O'Brien Nanofabrication Laboratory and Core Center of Excellence in Nano Imaging (CNI). These facilities received over $90 million of new investments, including the latest equipment for fundamental research and student training. The Ershaghi Center on Energy Transition (E-CET) launched this year, bringing together leaders in academia and industry to collaborate on research and educational programs that will foster major efforts towards a low-carbon future. The department welcomed our largest-ever incoming Ph.D. cohort. We will continue to grow, with three new faculty joining us in January 2023, bringing expertise in quantum materials, microscopy, and systems engineering and controls.

Learn more about our exciting research, groundbreaking innovation, celebrated faculty, and outstanding students. We are very proud of what Mork has to offer and hope you enjoy these highlights from our department over the past year.

Andrea Hodge, Arthur B. Freeman Professor and Chair