IV. TUeMechE

IV.1. Mechanical engineering at TU/e

The Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) has been a core part of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) since the university was founded in 1956.

The mission of ME is to perform long-term, world-class research within the mechanical-engineering domain on carefully selected topics that fit the university’s research profile and connect strongly to the technological interests of high-tech, internationally oriented industry in the Netherlands, particularly in Brainport Eindhoven. The department combines fundamental research with application-driven engineering and education, with the aim of educating engineers who can address future scientific, industrial, and societal challenges.

Structure of Mechanical Engineering at TU/e. The department organizes its research around three divisions: Computational and Experimental Mechanics (CEM), focused on mechanics and materials; Dynamical Systems Design (DSD), focused on systems, dynamics, and control; and Thermo Fluids Engineering (TFE), focused on heat and flow. Each division contains several research sections and groups. Across these divisions, fundamental understanding is combined with design, experimentation, computation, and manufacturing. The divisions are primarily concept- and method-oriented rather than tied to a single application domain, which allows expertise to be applied across high-tech systems, energy, healthcare, mobility, manufacturing, and robotics.

The Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s program is part of the TU/e Bachelor College and provides a broad disciplinary foundation. Its learning lines include Mathematics, Design and Manufacturing, and learning lines connected to the three research divisions CEM, DSD, and TFE. Design and Manufacturing is particularly important because mechanical-engineering concepts ultimately have to be transformed into physical products, machines, production processes, and high-precision systems that can be manufactured, assembled, tested, and scaled.

The Mechanical Engineering graduate program is part of the TU/e Graduate School and includes the ME Master’s and PhD programs. The Master’s program combines a common mechanical-engineering foundation with specialization through the department’s research sections. Faculty members of the department provide most of the educational components in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs.

IV.2. Research sections at ME

The research sections show the breadth of modern mechanical engineering at TU/e. Two themes are especially visible across multiple sections:

• Manufacturing and realization: mechanical engineering does not stop at analysis and design. Materials, processing, precision engineering, production technology, metrology, and system integration determine whether a concept can become a reliable physical product or production system.

• Advanced robotics and autonomous systems: robotics combines mechanics, dynamics, actuation, sensing, control, perception, planning, and increasingly learning-based methods. At TU/e, robotics therefore connects naturally to both Control Systems Technology and Dynamics and Control, while also drawing on expertise in materials, manufacturing, and thermo-fluid systems.

	Prof. Marc Geers Section chair of Mechanics of Materials (MoM) MoM: Enabling mechanical designs through materials across the scales.
	Prof. Jaap Den Toonder Section chair of Micro Systems (MS) We make things work at small scales.
	Prof. Markus Hutter Section chair of Processing and Performance (P&P) From molecules to performance: Understanding and optimizing the relationship between micro-structure, processing, and final product properties.
	Prof. David Smeulders Section chair of Energy Technology (ET) ET: Facilitating the energy transition.
	Prof. Niels Deen Section chair of Power and Flow (P&F) Power & Flow focuses on clean and efficient combustion and process technology, to cater for fast-growing energy demands.
	Prof. Tom Oomen Section chair of Control Systems Technology (CST) CST focuses on the design and control of high-performance mechanical and mechatronic systems for healthcare, the semiconductor industry, energy systems, mobility, and advanced automation.
	Prof. Rene van de Molengraft Section chair of Robotics (RBT) RBT develops advanced autonomous and collaborative robots that can perceive, understand, and act in complex human environments.
	Prof. Simon Eugster Section chair of Dynamics and Control (D&C) D&C develops methods for understanding, predicting, and controlling complex engineering systems, supporting intelligent autonomous systems in high-tech industry, robotics, mobility, healthcare, and energy.

IV.3. TUeMechE online

	See www.tue.nl/me for the official Eindhoven University of Technology website.
	See tuemeche.nl for the informal TUeMechE website hosting the Mechanical Engineering interactive lecture notes.
	The new TU/eMechE app provides mobile access to TUeMechE content and resources. Download the TU/eMechE app from the Apple App Store.
	Click here to visit and follow the departmental Instagram page.
	Click here to visit and follow the departmental LinkedIn page.