News | UC Davis College of Engineering

Green plastic bottle caught in splashing waves on a sandy shore

UC Davis to Set Standard for Measuring Airborne Nanoplastic Health Risks

Revolutionizing Energy Systems

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

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.

Transforming Mobility

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

Advancing Human Health

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

Recent News

UC Davis Engineers Selected for Landmark DOE Genesis Mission Awards

by Neelanjana Gautum, Office of Research, and COE Communications
July 31, 2026

UC Davis engineers Isaac Kim and Mingwei Zhang were among the recipients of the inaugural awards granted through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission — a national program leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, discovery science and national security.

Portrait photo of Melanie Clague wearing a gray blazer and blue top and smiling against a brick wall

Melanie Clague Named Executive Assistant Dean for Administration and Finance

by Molly Bechtel
July 30, 2026

Announcements

Melanie Clague has been selected as the next executive assistant dean for administration and finance for the University of California, Davis, College of Engineering. She will begin her new role on August 1.

The student team on a small boat looking toward Lake Tahoe and lush green trees on the shoreline

From Swimming Pools to Lake Tahoe: Student Engineers Put Their Robot to Work

by Jessica Heath
July 29, 2026

UC Davis students in Cyclone RoboSub are taking their autonomous underwater vehicle beyond the pool, using it to support environmental research in open waters and to educate the next generation of robotics engineers.

Rachel Amstutz on gradient background with "Startup of the Month" text

UC Davis Engineers Develop Medical Device to Better Protect Babies on Ventilators

by Russel Nichols, Comstock's Magazine
July 28, 2026

As part of their senior design project, five biomedical engineering students developed First Bite, a medical device that includes headgear and an external guard with a built-in adjustable cable to hold the endotracheal tube in place.

Glossy rounded panes with code on a dark background

New Method Significantly Boosts AI Speed, Energy Efficiency on Existing Hardware

by Matt Marcure
July 27, 2026

Research led by a UC Davis Ph.D. student shows that AI models can maintain response quality while using far less energy on existing hardware. The work received the Best Paper Award at MLSys 2026, a leading machine learning and AI systems conference.

Research in Action

Engineering For All

Colorful salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, radish and greens in black bowl on dark wood

AI Suggests Simple Food Swaps to Make Meals Healthier and Cheaper

Intelligent Systems and Automation

UC Davis Engineers Selected for Landmark DOE Genesis Mission Awards

Tools at the Nano- and Micro-Scales

Cleanroom technician in white suit pointing at semiconductor equipment under yellow lighting

UC Davis Joins as Core Member of Regional Semiconductor Workforce Network

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.

Learn More

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.

Watch Video on YouTube

Engineering Progress

Read Our Magazine

Read the current issue

Read all Issues

Submit a news story

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

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

View more In the News

News Bytes

Five smiling adults standing indoors; two hold certificates and a poster, banner behind them.

UC Davis Researchers Receive 2026 Geometry Processing Software Award

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering John D. Owens, alum Ahmed H. Mahmoud, Ph.D. ’24, and project scientist Serban Porumbescu received the 2026 SGP Software Award from the Eurographics Symposium on Geometry Processing for RXMesh, an open-source library that simplifies GPU-based processing of 3D triangle meshes.

Shelden in cap and polo stands before "75 Years and Beyond" banner

UC Davis Electrical Engineer Selected for Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Calum Shelden, Ph.D. ’25 and a current postdoctoral scholar in the Munday Lab, is among the nearly 600 young scientists from around the world exchanging knowledge, ideas and experience during the 75th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Shelden researches the Casimir force, a quantum mechanical effect.

Lillie in a UC Davis swimsuit, goggles on forehead, hands on hips by outdoor pool

Lillie Vehling Receives Big West Student Athlete Service and Leadership Award

The mechanical and aerospace engineering student and water polo player is among nine athletes recognized for their service, leadership and academic success. Co-founding a water safety initiative, completing nuclear engineering internships and leading her team in shooting percentage are among Vehling's many achievements.

What's Trending

Sign up for monthly email updates from Dean of Engineering Richard L. Corsi and stay in the know
on the latest news and accomplishments in the college's Next Level strategic vision for research, education and community.