Faculty members teaching in the Interdisciplinary Programs are involved in a variety of basic and applied research in automotive engineering and manufacturing engineering. The funding for their research comes from governmental agencies (such as National Science Foundation, Department of Energy and US Army) and industry (such as General Motors, Ford Motor Co., and TRW). Many graduate students in the Interdisciplinary Programs participate in research that includes:

• Performance of Lightweight Automotive Materials
• Stamping, Hydroforming, Tailor-Welded Blanking
• Automotive Composites Processing and Design
• Thermoplastic Matrix Composites
• Injection Molding
• Spray Forming and Rapid Tooling
• Rapid Prototyping
• Joining of Materials
• Corrosion of Lightweight Metals
• Engine Combustion and Exhaust Emission
• Engine Flow Diagnostics
• Alternative Fuels
• Performance Analysis of Catalytic Converters
• NVH and Vehicle Acoustic Packaging
• Vehicle Dynamics and Controls
• Automotive Systems Modeling
• Transmission Systems and Hybrid Powertrains
• Drivetrain Gear Design
• Drivetrain Stability
• Vehicle Crashworthiness
• Finite Element Crash Simulation
• Occupant Accommodation and Vehicle Packaging
• Driver Vision, Visibility and Driver Interface
• Vehicle Lighting
• Automotive Power Electronics
• Sensors for Intelligent Vehicle Systems
• Supply Chain Management and E-Commerce
• Intelligent Tolerance Design
• Lean Manufacturing
• Modular Design and Manufacturing
• Robust Design and Product Performance Evaluation
• Flexible Robotic Assembly
• Machine Vision Inspection
• Quality and Reliability Improvement