MIT CEE

Early-career women in CEE and related fields are invited to apply now for MIT CEE’s Rising Stars in Civil & Environmental Engineering workshop. Join two days of research talks, career panels, and networking with MIT faculty. Applications close August 1: ceerisingstars.mit.edu

Prof. Desirée Plata and research scientist Glen Andrew de Vera received the J-WAFS Grant for Transforming Animal Agriculture Systems to study the impacts of agricultural runoff on drinking water treatment.

Professors Saurabh Amin and Benedetto Marelli have been awarded J-WAFS seed grants to advance research addressing critical challenges in water and food.

The MIT-led Jameel Observatory-CREWSnet project has opened its first solar-powered Adaptation Fortress in Bangladesh, providing a safe refuge from extreme heat and tropical storms for vulnerable communities. news.mit.edu/2026/mit-led... #climate #sustainability #resillience #ClimateAdaptation

Prof. Benedetto Marelli and postdoc Giorgio Rizzo joined Boston Public Radio’s Curiosity Desk to discuss their work upcycling seafood waste into a seed coating that could boost drought resilience and nutrition. www.youtube.com/live/XyO0NbV...

Applications are open for MIT CEE’s Rising Stars in Civil & Environmental Engineering workshop. Early-career women in CEE and related fields are invited to apply for two days of research talks, career panels, and networking with MIT faculty. Apply now: cee.mit.edu/community/ri...

QS World University Rankings has placed MIT in the number 1 spot in 12 subject areas for 2026, including Civil and Structural Engineering. news.mit.edu/2026/qs-worl...

Chemical data shapes both public health and policy outcomes. A new study from postdoc Nicolette Bugher, Prof. Desirée Plata, and collaborators finds that even “gold-standard” data on toxic N-nitrosamines can carry hidden bias that affects regulatory decisions. pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Active Surfaces, a startup co-founded by alumnus Shiv Bhakta, is developing lightweight, flexible, high-efficiency solar energy films designed to be used on roofs, walls, and any curved surface. news.mit.edu/2026/active-...

Machine learning is transforming how we predict and prepare for floods. Join the Boston Society of Civil Engineers for the 51st Annual John R. Freeman Lecture: “AI for Global Flood Forecasting” with Dr. Grey Nearing. More info: members.bsces.org/ap/Events/Re...

Arctic rainfall and snowfall have surged in recent decades, largely driven by sea ice melt. A new study from research scientist Judah Cohen and colleagues finds natural Atlantic ocean cycles are amplifying this trend—and could slow it if they reverse. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

A new AI system developed by Prof. Cathy Wu and collaborators in LIDS and IDSS adapts to decide which robots should get the right of way at every moment, avoiding congestion and increasing throughput. news.mit.edu/2026/ai-syst...

VibeGen, a new AI model developed in the Buehler Lab, generates novel proteins based on how they vibrate and move, opening new possibilities for dynamic biomaterials and adaptive therapeutics. news.mit.edu/2026/mit-eng...

Biodegradable plastic doesn’t break down on its own—it takes a microbial team. New research from the Plata Lab found different ocean bacteria each play a role in degrading plastic, and together they can fully consume it. news.mit.edu/2026/ocean-b...

PhD student Audrey Parker studies methane mitigation strategies in dairy farms and coal mines, to reduce emissions of the potent greenhouse gas. news.mit.edu/2026/cutting...

A new study led by @gioele-zardini.bsky.social, CEE grad student Xinling Li, and EECS grad student Meshal Alharbi finds autonomous mobility-on-demand research must become more transparent and reproducible to guide real-world transportation decisions. cee.mit.edu/before-auton...

Prof. Markus Buehler joins an episode of “Machines and Molecules” to discuss why adaptability may be the single most important universal principle in materials science. open.spotify.com/episode/18n9...

A new study from the McRose Lab finds that nitrous oxide may harm some soil bacteria. While some N2O is produced naturally at plant roots, agricultural practices can increase its levels, potentially disrupting microbes that support plant growth. news.mit.edu/2026/nitrous...

Prof. Michael Howland has received a NSF CAREER Award to develop computational tools that improve energy harvesting and fluid dynamics of turbomachines. cee.mit.edu/mit-assistan...

Prof. Desirée Plata will be speaking at the 2026 Women in Data Science Cambridge Conference, Friday, March 6, 2026 in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Microsoft NERD Center. Register now: www.eventbrite.com/e/wids-cambr...

Congrats to Prof. Charles Harvey on being elected to the National Academy of Engineering for contributions to hydrogeology regarding groundwater arsenic contamination, transport, and consequences. news.mit.edu/2026/mit-com...

A parking-aware navigation system developed by Prof. Cathy Wu and researchers in IDSS and LIDS helps drivers identify lots offering the optimal balance between proximity to their destination and the likelihood of available spaces. news.mit.edu/2026/parking...

We’re proud to celebrate six CEE graduate students recognized with prestigious fellowships supporting research that advances sustainability and innovation across the built and natural environment.🎉 cee.mit.edu/cee-graduate...

Congrats to CEE alumna Rachel Schaefer on receiving the 2024 Lorenz G. Straub Award for her thesis exploring a range of physical scales to describe how seagrass provides coastal protection and facilitates blue carbon. cee.mit.edu/cee-alumna-r...

Who’s shaping U.S. carbon capture policy? A new study from Prof. Charles Harvey finds fossil fuel companies dominate lobbying around carbon capture—spending nearly $1B over 20 years—helping steer climate policy toward solutions that extend fossil fuel use. cee.mit.edu/study-examin...

The Jameel Observatory–CREWSnet, an initiative led by Prof. Elfatih Eltahir, has begun construction on the first Adaptation Fortress in Bangladesh—protecting communities from both heatwaves and cyclones. #ClimateAdaptation #ClimateResilience #ExtremeHeat www.communityjameel.org/news/jameel-...

With the help of AI, MIT Research Scientist Judah Cohen is reshaping subseasonal forecasting, with the goal of extending the lead time for predicting impactful weather. news.mit.edu/2026/decodin...

New research led by grad student Kristen Riedinger with the Plata Lab and MIT Superfund Research Program detects low-level N-nitrosamines in drinking water and explores links to other water quality indicators. doi.org/10.1039/D5EW...

Research Scientist Glen de Vera grew up surrounded by unsafe water and pollution. Now at MIT, he studies water treatment, tackles pollutants, mentors students, and advances technologies that protect public health. cee.mit.edu/from-flooded...

Congrats to Prof. César Terrer on being named to Clarivate’s 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list! 🎉 The annual list recognizes researchers whose publications rank in the top 1% by citations in their field. cee.mit.edu/mit-professo...

A team of researchers led by Prof. Admir Masic analyzed a recently discovered ancient construction site to shed new light on a material that has endured for thousands of years. #concrete #infrastructure #sustainability news.mit.edu/2025/pompeii...

A team of researchers including @gioele-zardini.bsky.social have developed a mathematically grounded system that lets soft robots deform, adapt, and interact with people and objects, without violating safety limits. news.mit.edu/2025/new-con...

New research led by graduate student Audrey Parker and co-authors in the Plata Lab and Prof. John Hart’s Mechanosynthesis Group established a framework to evaluate when methane destruction technologies deliver true, net climate benefit. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Tehran is approaching “Day Zero.” A @thebulletin.org article by Prof. Elfatih Eltahir and postdoc Yeon-Woo Choi shows how extreme heat and long-term drought have pushed city reservoirs to ~8% capacity, threatening water supplies for 10+ million residents. thebulletin.org/2025/12/shif...

A new study co-authored by Prof. Saurabh Amin and colleagues in EECS and LIDS shows that more data isn’t always better. Their framework identifies when a minimal dataset can still produce optimal decisions, reducing cost and computational load. #MIT #SystemsEngineering news.mit.edu/2025/bigger-...

In a recent study, Comm Lab Manager Jared Berezin found that simple peer-support activities can strengthen learning and wellbeing—boosting connection, reducing stigma, and improving teamwork. mitcommlab.mit.edu/cee/2025/10/...

Congratulations to Prof. Darcy McRose on being named a 2025 Packard Fellow for Science and Engineering! 🎉 Her research explores how antibiotics shape ecosystems, agriculture, and health. @packardfdn.bsky.social news.mit.edu/2025/darcy-m...

A concrete “battery” developed by Professors Admir Masic, Franz-Josef Ulm, and researchers in the MIT CSHub now packs 10 times the power—unlocking the potential to turn the concrete around us into massive energy storage systems. news.mit.edu/2025/concret...

A new framework developed by @gioele-zardini.bsky.social, PhD student Yujun Huang and colleagues could change how engineers design autonomous vehicles, commercial aircraft, or transportation networks to handle real-world unpredictability. news.mit.edu/2025/account...

South Asia is facing record-breaking heatwaves that could put millions at risk of life-threatening conditions. In a TIME op-ed, Prof. Elfatih Eltahir calls for urgent adaptation and aggressive action to curb carbon emissions. time.com/7319322/sout...

Prof. Josephine Carstensen and PhD student Hajin Kim-Tackowiak created a new design method that accounts for 3D printer limitations to better control materials’ performance in aerospace, medical, and other applications. news.mit.edu/2025/techniq...

Ready to engineer solutions for a sustainable future? Join us Sept. 25 @ 2PM ET for a Graduate Admissions Info session to learn how you can make a global impact through advanced study and research. Ready to apply now? Our grad application portal is open. apply.mit.edu/register/?id...

Congrats to @gioele-zardini.bsky.social on receiving a 2025 DARPA Young Faculty Award to support his research into scalable, verifiable design of multi-agent autonomous systems. #AutonomousSystems #ScalableDesign #MIT #EngineeringResearch lids.mit.edu/news-and-eve...

Prof. César Terrer and Trevor Cambron SM ’25 examine plants under elevated CO2 and their impact on climate models in a new review paper published in @natclimate.nature.com cee.mit.edu/plant-nutrie...

A new study led by Prof. Cathy Wu and colleagues reveals that eco-driving measures, such as dynamically adjusting vehicle speeds to reduce stopping and excessive acceleration, can cut carbon emissions between 11 and 22 percent. news.mit.edu/2025/eco-dri...