The Interdisciplinary Materials Science (IMS) program at Vanderbilt University offers a unique opportunity to design a Masters or Ph.D. program that satisfies a graduate student's individual interests. With 37 full time faculty members involved in the program and over 46 different course offerings, many options are available to students who desire an advance materials science degree. Hands-on research opportunities are possible owing to the extensive infrastructure at Vanderbilt for materials processing and characterization. In addition, a long history of collaboration between the Vanderbilt IMS program and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) provides the graduate student with exposure to truly state-of-the-art equipment and interaction with world-class scientists. Finally, extremely competitive stipends are available for qualified students to provide for a comfortable financial setting during the IMS graduate degree program.

Materials advancements improve the standard and the quality of living. They are indeed the underpinning of the development of new technologies. In today's sophisticated and complicated climate, continued advancements in materials demand intimacy among a variety of disciplines. In recognition of this at Vanderbilt University, faculty from Chemistry, Physics, Materials Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Civil Engineering have come together in the Interdisciplinary Program in Materials Science. In this arena, there is extensive collaboration in both the teaching of and research in Materials Science.

The richness of the research activities within the program is a reflection of the richness of the education offered within the program. Many research areas focus on electronic/optical thin films, nanostructures, and the interaction of intense optical radiation with matter. Electronic and optical thin films are at the forefront of materials science and span the range from semiconductor applications to biomedical materials. Ion bombardment processes and their role in the creation of new materials is a central area of research within the program. Some of the current experimental activity embraces the creation of defect complexes in silicon and the dynamical interaction of these defects with the lattice phonons. Other ion bombardment programs involve the creation of unique microstructures by ion implantation and the understanding of such processes. Additional initiatives within the program concentrate on research regarding molecular electronics, seeking new materials systems and fundamental processes to form electronically active elements on the molecular size level. There is also a wide range of materials synthesis activities for the formation of innovative materials such as molecular precursors for thin-film chemical-vapor-deposition, molecules for optoelectronic and magnetic applications, novel liquid crystals, semiconducting nanocrystals, nanocomposites, sol-gel ceramics and photovoltaics. Still another predominant set of investigations studies the effect of radiation on the performance of advanced integrated circuit systems in the space environment. Some other examples of research projects include diamond deposition processes with emphasis on structure and properties, novel production processes for high temperature superconductors, and solidification processes for the development of high performance structural materials.