Department History

For more than a century, the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been turning ideas into impact.

The department traces its roots to 1914, when mechanical engineering became an independent department at UT. As Texas grew into a powerhouse in energy, manufacturing, and technology, we grew with it, preparing generations of engineers to tackle the challenges of their time and imagine what comes next.

A History of Big Ideas

Some of the department’s greatest contributions began with questions that had never been answered.

Joseph Beaman helped launch the 3D-printing revolution. A UT alumnus who returned to the faculty in 1979, Beaman and his students pioneered Selective Laser Sintering, a groundbreaking additive manufacturing technology. The technology was licensed by UT in 1988 and helped lay the foundation for an industry that has transformed how products are designed and made.

John Goodenough brought another world-changing innovation to UT. After joining the university in 1986, he continued his pioneering work in energy storage and battery materials. His research contributed to the development of the lithium-ion battery, earning him the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Beaman and Goodenough represent the kind of engineering that defines the department: fundamental research, bold ideas and technologies that reach far beyond the laboratory.

The People Who Shaped Us

The department’s history is also a story of the people who have shaped it.

Faculty have pushed the boundaries of engineering research while mentoring generations of students. Alumni have gone on to lead companies, advance science, develop new technologies and serve in government and academia around the world.

The Academy of Distinguished Alumni, established in 2004, celebrates graduates whose careers have brought distinction to UT and the engineering profession.

The department itself carries the name of one of those alumni, J. Mike Walker, who earned his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from UT in 1968. Walker became a leader in the offshore drilling industry and a longtime supporter of engineering education. In fall 2018, Walker made two $20 million dollar gifts to the mechanical engineering departments of The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M, where he had also earned degrees.

The Next Chapter

In 2013, the department celebrated its centennial, honoring a century of engineering innovation and looking toward the next 100 years.

Today, it continues to evolve with the field. Our faculty and students are advancing research in advanced manufacturing, robotics, energy, materials, biomedical engineering, computational engineering and more.

The tools have changed. The questions have changed. But the mission remains the same: educate exceptional engineers, pursue ideas that matter and build what comes next.

That is the Walker tradition. And its next chapter is being written now.