Mechanical engineering is ubiquitous and every product or system that is used in the world has mechanical engineering behind it, in all its glory! Over and above this, each of these products needs a machine to make it. Mechanical engineering has not only powered the world with a range of power plant technologies that include traditional fossil fuels, renewables and hybrid power technologies, but have also played a pivotal role in mobility technologies that include automobiles, trains, aircrafts, helicopters and so on. Advances in space technologies would not have been possible without mechanical engineering; be it the launch vehicle, controls, satellites, propulsion technology and so forth. The contributions of mechanical engineering even in a field like medicine are unparalleled starting from X rays to CT and MRI scans, heart lung machines for bypass surgeries to artificial valves and stents.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) at IIT Madras is as old as the Institute. The Department hosts a range of undergraduate, dual degree, masters and doctoral level programs apart from the web enabled master’s program for working professionals. The Department enjoys a high reputation and rating not only within India but also internationally. Our faculty members are top notch and work in diverse research areas. They have been and continue to be in the forefront of state-of-the-art research and high-class teaching engrained with clarity, rigour, depth as well as topicality. Courses and programs continue to evolve as the research and teaching landscape continue to change with time. Our faculty members are quick to recognise the change and are able to dynamically adapt themselves to new situations, new research areas and the teaching, particularly of the elective and graduate level courses are a reflection of the state-of-the art research they pursue. Lately, our faculty also have been focusing on translational technologies and are mentoring and fostering several start-ups. These efforts are a way of returning to society and also create entrepreneurs who hopefully can employ thousands of people in the decades to come. A number of these have already begun to make a significant societal impact.

I take great pleasure in inviting you to explore our website to learn more about our course programmes, research expertise and research programmes, industry interaction through continuing education and consulting projects, and much more. I sincerely hope that soon some of you will be part of the experience of Mechanical Engineering at Chennai 36!!