Purpose: 

The Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Design (FIAD) has prioritized research axes, within which competitive groups are developed whose common purpose is to generate cutting-edge knowledge in response to problems and opportunities for innovation in industry, productive sectors, cities and society in general.  This structure echoes a strategic definition of the Faculty to promote around these research axes its growth and consolidation process as a complex and modern Faculty that promotes industry 4.0 and contributes to the development of the country in all its dimensions.

Lines of Research

Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials: To develop nano- and bio-materials with advanced mechanical, dynamic, structural, magnetic, electronic, optical and/or catalytic properties, whose applications drive an emerging economy based on knowledge, innovation and added value. The integration of these materials with optoelectronic and biophotonic systems is also addressed, to develop applications in new technological devices, intelligent materials and high performance structural and seismic resistant materials. 
Bioengineering, Energy and Sustainable Processes: To develop innovative and eco-sustainable biotechnological production systems that valorize natural resources in response to the environmental, economic and social challenges of productive development. Research is also conducted on the development of clean energy and technological solutions to monitor and respond to the impact of industry on the environment, with emphasis on the protection of water resources, mining, and the monitoring and control of emerging pollutants.
Data Science, Analytics and Operations: To develop scientific knowledge and technological applications through the use of mathematical tools and computational models to address emerging engineering problems. These areas include the design and application of algorithms to study and solve complex requirements from industries, processes, organizations, societies, transportation, biological systems and environment, using data science techniques, artificial intelligence, optimization models and computational simulation.
Architecture, Housing and City: Study of architecture, housing and urban phenomena from their various fields, such as constructive, cultural, patrimonial, regulatory, economic, socio-environmental, political, territorial, and their interactions. Fields of particular interest are the study and preservation of the material historical heritage of architecture in Chile and abroad; production of architectures appropriate to the environment, sustainable and with technical and economic feasibility; land and housing markets and their regulations; interactions between the transportation system(s), urban development and capital gains arising from these interactions; participation and contentious dynamics in spatial planning. It also analyzes the effect of rural land fragmentation and the relationship with natural areas -protected or not- with a focus on sustainability and new construction approaches based on Industry 4.0 technologies.