The goal of the PhD program is to create a culture of scholarship and high impact research that produces articulate researchers who are called upon first to hold leadership positions in society and academia. The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree is the highest degree awarded by the Mechanical Engineering Department and is recommended for students who are interested in leadership careers in academia (e.g. as a faculty member of a university), industry, or government. Research involves active, student-directed inquiry into an engineering topic. A student’s research experience forms the core of the PhD program. There are two goals for conducting research: 1) to learn the general skills to conduct independent research and 2) to develop new knowledge in mechanical engineering. Conducting research requires combining knowledge gained in the classroom with the ability to read the scientific literature, identify critical knowledge gaps, structure complex problems, formulate and test hypotheses, analyze and interpret data, and present and discuss technical results. Engineering research also requires significant experimental, computational, and analytical skills. A student learns these core skills as they pursues their research topic. Many of these skills cannot be learned in the classroom setting, but instead must be developed in the laboratory, library, and conference room as the student actively interacts with faulty, other students, and researchers around the world. Independent, non-classroom based learning and problem solving is a core aspect of the PhD degree. Upon completion of his dissertation the student should be an international expert in a technical area. Dissemination of new knowledge at technical conferences and in peer-reviewed archival publications is an important part of research. Milestones to the PhD: The major ME program milestones all PhD students complete: Research and Coursework; Qualifying Examination (RCC & RFE); Advancement to Candidacy; Dissertation Proposal Meeting (DPM); Thesis Dissertation (written) and Defense (oral). Control research at U-M encompasses everything from manufacturing systems to automobiles, prosthetic devices and robotics. Our faculty have also created award-winning tutorials for Matlab and Simulink. Manufacturing: Researchers working with our Engineering Research Center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems develop systems that can be adapted to changes in the marketplace. Automotive: Our engineers investigate automotive safety, handling, and autonomous vehicle control through modeling and simulation. They develop powertrain control systems, and work on diesel technology and braking methods for Commercial Heavy Vehicles. Their research also helps accelerate the adoption of fuel cell and hybrid vehicles. In addition, they work on developing tools to guarantee the safety of automated controllers for autonomous vehicles. Robotics: Our work has led to autonomous ground robots that investigate rugged or dangerous terrain and devices that track the moving position of pedestrians or vehicles without GPS. We’ve developed navigation aids for the blind and those with limited mobility, haptic interface systems that exploit the sense of touch for rehabilitation or education and micro-mechatronic or soft robotic systems for use in bio-medical devices or in computers. Specialties: Robotics; Rehabilitation; Haptic devices; Biomechanics of motion; Prosthetic device development; MEMS and micro-mechatronic systems; Powertrain control systems and architectures; Fuel cell power and hydrogen forming; Logic control; Networked control systems; Manufacturing automation; Vehicle dynamics and controls; Time-delay systems.