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Revolutionizing Energy Systems

We make significant contributions to climate mitigation through innovations in energy efficiency, generation and storage.

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Strengthening Climate Resilience

We advance human, infrastructure and ecosystem resilience in the face of potentially devastating climate impacts by developing and implementing leading-edge technologies and engineering approaches.

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Transforming Mobility

We lead the development of future transportation systems for movement across land, water, air and extraterrestrial environments.

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Advancing Human Health

We improve population health and healthcare through the development of advanced technologies, devices for personalized health monitoring and health informatics.

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Recent News

May and Vehling at a podcast table with microphones and bright studio backdrop.

Engineering, Athletics and a Commitment to Saving Lives

  • by Anila Lijo, UC Davis News and Media Relations
A fourth-year mechanical and aerospace engineering student and member of the UC Davis women’s water polo team, Lillie Vehling exemplifies the Aggie spirit through her academic achievements, athletic dedication and commitment to water safety. She is this month’s guest on Face to Face with Chancellor May.

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Research in Action

Engineering For All

Up to $36.5M Funds ‘Cyborg’ Cell Project to Help Life-Saving Cell Therapies Travel Farther

Intelligent Systems and Automation

UC Davis Engineering Student Wins International Prize for AI-Powered Harvest Technology

Tools at the Nano- and Micro-Scales

Built to Take a Hit: Tiny Flying Robot is a Step Closer to Flight Beyond the Lab

From Labs to Lives

How Research Funding Solves Real-World Problems
Below, our engineering researchers describe the impact of their work, and the consequences if federal support for this cutting-edge research were reduced or eliminated.
 
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A professor speaking adamantly on a purple backdrop

Without Federal Support, Fewer Solutions Move from the Lab to Real-World Use

Investments from agencies like NSF, USDA and NASA enable Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Zhaodan Kong to develop technologies that work with humans, such as wildfire-detection drones that support firefighters. Without funding, testing and getting technologies into the hands of people who need them becomes much harder.

See Kong discuss the benefits of human-centered technologies

A professor speaking passionately on a purple backdrop

Lack of Federal Funding Shortchanges Long-Term Breakthroughs in Health Monitoring

In one of her research projects, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Cristina Davis and her team are developing wearable sensors to monitor increasing exposures that could harm our health, such as chemicals released by wildfires. Without federal support, the nation risks decades of stalling scientific progress on such projects.

Watch Professor Davis speak on why federal funding is needed 

Md Shamim Ahamed against a blue background for a video shoot

USDA-Funded Research Advances Sustainable Food Systems

Assistant Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Md Shamim Ahamed develops solutions to help grow food more efficiently in greenhouses and indoor farms. His team has developed systems that can cut energy and water use by up to 50 percent, helping to lower food costs and help farmers produce food year-round in changing climates. 

Engineering Progress

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In the News

Hawk landing on green perch, wings spread wide inside enclosure

How the way red-tailed hawks adapt could change rehab efforts and aircraft design

NPR
Wreckage from a wildfire

New study says toxic carcinogen from 2025 Los Angeles wildfires may have spread to 3.3 million people

CBS News
Flowers, plants, and sticks in the shape of human lungs

9 Everyday Things That Are Quietly Polluting the Air Inside Your Home

Real Simple

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News Bytes

Blue-black eVTOL aircraft flying over a coastal city at sunset

Engineering Alum’s Electric Air Taxi Named Among TIME’s Best Inventions

Joby Aviation’s all-electric air taxi, developed by a team led by mechanical engineering alum JoeBen Bevirt, is among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026. The quiet, four-passenger aircraft takes off and lands like a helicopter and flies like a plane, with the potential to turn an hour in traffic into a 10-minute flight. Bevirt '95 received the college’s Distinguished Engineering Alumni Medal in 2018.
Two technicians in aprons discuss work in front of orange 3D printer

UC Davis Tech Foundry Is a ‘Manufacturer to Know’ in Sacramento Region

The Sacramento Business Journal highlighted the device development facility as part of its Manufacturers to Know program, where notable businesses share why they operate in the Sacramento region. UC Davis Tech Foundry is a catalyst for new manufacturing practices and startups in the region, serving both the university and external partners.
Astronaut in helmet with green-lit visor, seated beside a headset-wearing crew member

Aerospace Engineering Alum Develops New Way to Move Cargo Across the Moon

As the co-founder and CEO of InSitu Space, Toby Li ’25 is developing Daedalus, a rocket-propelled “hopper” designed to transport cargo across the lunar surface. By flying over craters, slopes and other obstacles, Daedalus could change the lunar transportation landscape, giving scientists quicker access to multiple sites from a single moon landing. 

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