Materials is the science of everything you see and touch. It is materials – metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, biomaterials, nanomaterials and composites – that give manufactured products their functional and aesthetic properties. Understanding and controlling the service behaviour of materials leads to improvements in the performance of machines, structures and devices.

Materials Science and Engineering is concerned with the selection, processing, development and performance of materials. Materials engineers apply their skills and knowledge to optimise the processing and to improve the properties of manufactured products.

Developments in light-weight metals, composites, high temperature materials, surface treatments and materials with special mechanical, electrical, optical and magnetic properties have opened new horizons for product design. Examples include the space shuttle and the jet aeroplane; the laptop computer and the iPod; artificial hips, contact lenses and the bionic ear; improved golf clubs and tennis rackets; and levitating trains.