Doctoral program in Engineering Sciences, Mechanical Engineering Area

Focuses on the design, development, characterization and analysis of energy conversion technologies and thermal systems that involve processes of generation, transport and exchange of thermal energy in a sustainable, efficient and clean manner, that satisfy the growing energy demand while simultaneously meeting society’s environmental concerns and addressing its energy dependence problems. This area addresses the following research topics: design, development, characterization and analysis of solar, thermal and electrical energy conversion systems; solar resource characterization; design of photovoltaic and concentrating solar thermal power plants; thermal and thermochemical energy storage systems; integration of solar energy into interconnected electrical transmission systems; fire dynamics and modeling of combustion processes in thermal systems; new technologies for the use of hydraulic, solar and thermal energy; nanotechnology for energy conversion and storage processes; cooling of solar thermal conversion systems; water purification and desalination processes; and uncertainty analysis in thermal processes.

The different stages and processes of design, manufacturing, and sustainability that an engineer must understand for the development of materials, manufacturing or systems are included, especially considering in these stages and processes the conception, design, manufacture, assembly and delivery of the developments in question, which can range from a steam turbine to a manufacturing system or a biomedical process. This area seeks to generate the knowledge and capabilities to apply new technological processes that involve the development and use of current materials and manufacturing processes to meet the needs of the country’s growing technological development. This area addresses the following research topics: additive manufacturing; numerical simulation of manufacturing processes; design for manufacturing; laser-assisted manufacturing processes; characterization of advanced materials; and control, automation, and robotics in mechanical systems.

The application requirements, according to the regulations of the Doctoral program in Engineering Sciences, are the following:

1. In case of having foreign academic degrees, these must be equivalent to those mentioned above.
2. Applicants must have sufficient understanding of the English language to read articles, books, and access international documents and databases. Applicants who do not have a certificate of English language proficiency as stated in the regulations of the UC Doctoral program must take a diagnostic test at the university to assess their language level and enroll in the courses indicated to achieve the required competencies.
3. The Program is based on joint work between a supervising professor and a student in a defined area of specialization, so a certain degree of affinity of interests is required. The latter makes it impossible to assure the admission of all qualified applicants. Therefore, it is highly recommended to contact a professor working in the area of interest before applying.

In the following link you will find the list of UC Engineering academics grouped by academic area.

• To be a Doctoral Candidate.
• To have passed all courses and academic activities of the study plan, maintaining a cumulative grade point average higher than or equal to 5.0 during all semesters of permanence in the program and within a period not exceeding ten academic semesters.
• To have finished and passed the doctoral thesis and the degree exam.
• To have stayed in the Doctoral program for at least four semesters.
• To have no debts of any kind with the University.