Q&A with Dr.Matt Bandelt, Associate Dean and Associate Professor for Ph.D. Research and Graduate Studies at the Newark College of Engineering

Earning a Ph.D. in an engineering field can open the doors to many career opportunities as well as boost your personal growth. A Ph.D. in engineering can give you:

• Enhanced critical thinking skills and the ability to identify worthy technical challenges

• Application of scientific principles and technology to address societal and technical challenges by conducting well-designed and comprehensive research campaigns, resulting in meaningful as well as original contributions

• Opportunity to pursue investigations and studies at the highest levels of sophistication and complexity, and help address the most important objectives of our society.

We got the inside scoop about NJIT’s Ph.D. offerings within the Newark College of Engineering from Associate Dean and Associate Professor Dr.Matt Bandelt. In this Q&A, he discusses the structure, content, goals and benefits of doctoral studies at NJIT.

Q: What Ph.D. programs are being offered at the Newark College of Engineering (NCE)?

A: All our engineering departments (Biomedical, Chemical and Materials, Civil and Environmental, Electrical and Computer, and Mechanical and Industrial) offer Ph.D. programs. Those Ph.D. programs include:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Transportation Engineering

The Ph.D. programs encompass the main areas of engineering, and extend the student’s horizons well beyond earlier undergraduate studies in the same areas. The doctoral programs are meant for individuals who are highly interested in research, possess the ability to think analytically, wish to address major challenges in technology and engineering, and are capable of methodical and original thinking.

Q: What type of research will Ph.D. candidates be involved with in each program?

A: It really varies depending on the program. Some of the students who enter our programs will have laboratory-intensive experience — they may be working in a lab designing experiments, running tests, and collecting and analyzing data. Other students, for example, our environmental engineering and our transportation engineering students, may be collecting data in the field, using the real-world as their laboratory for collecting data for their research. For example, transportation engineers may be gathering data on driverless cars, traffic systems, and other components of transportation infrastructure that are used to keep our roads and cities more efficient.

Nearly every engineering field has the potential to benefit from computer simulation work — students can research and develop the next generation of computational tools to model and solve complex engineering problems. 

For example – In our biomedical engineering degree program, we currently have several researchers who work on biomechanical, tissue engineering, and brain imaging problems. Students working in this area of research often develop new biomechanical systems and assist devices for humans with different needs in order to alleviate the impact of certain diseases and improve patient quality of life.

Ph.D. candidates in our chemical and material engineering program often combine computer modeling work with lab experiments, moving between simulations and physical prototypes. Such studies are common in the development of new materials and in understanding how they interact with new environments. 

We are tailoring the path of every student toward the Ph.D. degree to accommodate the student’s interests and talents, and to ensure that students study important problems whose resolution can have a positive impact on human welfare, society, and the environment. 

Q: What makes NJIT’s Ph.D. programs and research opportunities unique?

A: NJIT is well known for the collaborative spirit of its Ph.D. programs. In almost every project we engage multiple researchers and advisors, encourage cooperation between research groups and multiple students, and work across departmental and college boundaries. In addition, we have very strong ties to industry – in New Jersey and in the nation. Many projects are funded and guided by the industry, with input from seasoned practitioners and policy makers. Many of our Ph.D. students do some of their research work in labs and installations of companies, utilities, and government agencies. The strong ties that NJIT has developed with industry increase the practicality and relevance of research work performed at NJIT.    

Another exciting part of NJIT’s engineering Ph.D. programs is the energetic and highly active faculty. In our departments you will find side-by-side senior researchers who are named fellows of their professional societies along with young faculty members who are recent graduates from the top engineering programs in the nation and in the world. This combination of long-time experience and evolving expertise provides our doctoral students with comprehensive, robust, and multi-dimensional mentoring. Many of our younger faculty members are recipients of the prestigious NSF CAREER award and of other federal and industrial recognitions. These distinctions signify excellence, and reflect on the education that our doctoral students receive.

The location of NJIT and the generous support that we provide to student travel allow our Ph.D. students to attend professional conferences, present their findings to the community, improve their communication skills, and build a strong professional network. This network is often proven invaluable when the fresh Ph.D. graduate seeks employment in industry, a national lab, or an academic institution.

Q: In what ways does having a Ph.D. from NJIT help your career growth? 

A: Earning a Ph.D. qualifies you to do highly technical and research work. When you do start your career, you're going to be able to accelerate significantly faster, and address more challenging, and hence more rewarding, challenges. With this rapid acceleration, appropriate opportunities will open up, and you can advance into roles that are geared for those with a Ph.D. For example, companies that do their own R&D (research and development) tend to hire Ph.D. graduates to work on the most important and more complicated problems. The likelihood is that you will get access to the best equipment, computation facilities, and software.

Personally, I'm a structural engineer, and some of my past students have gone on and worked for companies where they do forensic analysis of buildings and bridges that failed. These are the really complicated types of problems where a person who earned a Ph.D. can help resolve a truly complex scenario.

If you’re interested in becoming a professor or working at a national laboratory, then you would certainly need a Ph.D. to pursue that career.

Q: What is the benefit of earning your Ph.D. in engineering?

A: While going through the process of earning your Ph.D., you work directly with a research advisor, but you're also doing highly independent work. You receive guidance from your advisor and your research group on how to solve certain problems, but you also develop new ways of thinking on how to solve problems on your own. Additionally, your own intellectual curiosity brings about new questions, and helps you think in an entirely new manner. In time you create your own challenges.

In addition to developing a deep understanding of a particular research area, you often become very good at designing experiments and at developing computational tools to address new situations. You become a much more original and daring thinker. You become more strategic in your decision making and in your engineering judgment.

Writing and presentation skills also benefit from doctoral studies. Individuals who get a doctoral degree will often develop strong technical writing abilities. Ph.D. graduates often have to write, present, and explain complicated topics to wide audiences, from the general public to policy makers to other experts in their fields. It makes them better presenters, and the result is professionals who are deep thinkers and at the same time are also well-organized, factual, reliable, articulate and persuasive.

Pursue your Ph.D. at NJIT

Earning your Ph.D. in Engineering can propel your career and help you become a valuable member of any team. You’ll be able to use these critical problem solving skills to make strategic decisions in the engineering industry. Apply now to start your Ph.D. journey.