A Message From The Dean

Welcome to Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. As we approach the 150th anniversary of our founding, our future and its promise have never been better. Our faculty has increased in numbers and excellence while our student body—both undergraduate and graduate— is among the most selective, brilliant, and accomplished in the world.

At the same time, there has been a paradigm shift that has catapulted engineering and applied science into the very center of the University’s research community. For the School, it is a particularly exciting time as we take advantage of the additional interdisciplinary research space created by the Northwest Corner Building and look forward to the new laboratories and classrooms that will be part of the far-reaching developments on the Manhattanville campus.

In addition, we are on the brink of expanding our areas of research through the newly created Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering. Our excellent faculty continues to carry out breakthrough research that is advancing medical imaging, ensuring computer security, harnessing the data deluge for financial markets, and creating smart cities. As a student here, whether at the undergraduate or graduate level, you will have the opportunity to further this research and much more as you become part of the next generation of Columbia engineering and applied science leaders.

The hallmark of our School—our commitment to excellence—has continued since our founding in 1864, as our undergraduates learn about engineering and applied science through the unique lens of Columbia’s famed Core Curriculum of humanities and the arts. This exposure to the unquantifiable side of the academic world lends a breadth and perspective that expands our students’ vision, develops strong leadership skills, and educates them to work to solve the challenges that face our modern world.

No matter what academic focus you have chosen, you are part of a School that offers a broad range of opportunities for learning and advancement within a premier research university in one of the greatest cities in the world. I invite you to become part of this vibrant intellectual community that is Columbia Engineering.

Donald Goldfarb
Interim Dean