Engineering Moonshots

These six moonshots represent our most ambitious research frontiers—audacious, society-shaping challenges in health, energy, autonomy, quantum technology, critical resources and food. Each one is deliberately larger than any single lab, department, or discipline can solve alone, demanding sustained collaboration across engineering and with partners in science, medicine, industry and government. Together, they chart where our faculty and students will lead the discoveries and technologies that shape the decades ahead.

“Progress is not measured only by discovery, but by what changes in people’s lives because of it. Engineering connects ideas across disciplines and institutions to turn ambition into action at a scale that can be felt in communities and across society. This is a moment that calls for leadership—and we are prepared to step into it.”

Devesh Ranjan

Grainger Dean of the College of Engineering

3D illustration of a DNA molecule with sparkling effects symbolizing complexity and genetic diversity. Futuristic concept of genomics, precision medicine, and computational life sciences.

Engineering tomorrow's cures

AI powered precision health and therapeutics

Some of the most devastating diseases persist not for lack of science, but because discovery has been slow, costly and disconnected from how the human body actually works. We aim to unite AI, stem‑cell science and advanced engineering to model disease with unprecedented realism and accelerate therapies from lab to life. This moment—when biology, computation and manufacturing converge—creates an opportunity to change how cures are found and who benefits from them.

Fiery glowing high energy plasma field in space with particles

Limitless distributed power

Fusion driven energy with transport at terawatt scale

Energy demand is surging while the limits of today’s power systems grow ever more visible in people’s homes, industries, and communities. We aim to pair fusion with chemically transportable fuels to unlock abundant clean energy that can move at scale through infrastructure the world already depends on. With the Midwest’s energy assets and engineering depth, this work has the potential to redefine what reliable, affordable power means in everyday life.

Advanced High Precision Robot Arms on Fully Automated PCB Assembly Line Inside Modern Electronics Factory. Electronic Devices Production Industry. Component Installation on Circuit Board

Embodied AI

Engineering autonomous systems to enhance human capability and quality of life

From factories and hospitals to infrastructure and homes, society increasingly relies on systems that are complex, constrained and under strain. We aim to embed intelligence directly into the physical world—linking sensing, decision‑making and action to support people where it matters most. As technology reaches daily environments at scale, this work reshapes how systems serve safety, dignity and human potential.

A futuristic glowing quantum computer unit, 3d render

Making quantum practical

Engineering the manufacturing backbone to take quantum technology from lab to world

Quantum discoveries are advancing rapidly, but their benefits remain largely out of reach for society. We aim to engineer the materials, devices and manufacturing pathways that make quantum technologies robust, scalable and deployable. At a moment when national investment and scientific readiness align, this work determines whether quantum remains experimental—or becomes transformational.

Underwater. Beautiful lake between the green banks

Securing critical resources

Engineering access to clean water, rare minerals, and sustainable chemicals

Modern life depends on resources that are increasingly scarce, fragile or unevenly distributed—often felt first in water quality, food systems and supply chains. We aim to engineer new ways to recover, recycle and replace critical materials while protecting vital ecosystems and regional assets. As environmental and economic pressures converge, these solutions help secure the foundations communities rely on every day.

Spinach Leaves Mass Production in a Controlled Environment at Modern Vertical Farm. Automated Hydroponics Facility with Air Temperature, Light, Water, Humidity Levels Regulated for Optimal Growth

Feeding the planet

Engineering food production systems and their nutritional quality

Feeding a growing world well—affordably, sustainably and equitably—has become one of the defining challenges of our time. We aim to integrate engineering with biology, agriculture and data to transform food systems from the ground up, producing more nutritious food with fewer inputs and less waste. Rooted in the heart of America’s food economy, this work connects innovation directly to healthier people and stronger communities.

Engineering at scale

The Engineering Moonshots align with the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative designed to help address significant, complex challenges of particular importance to Wisconsin and the world.

Wisconsin RISE Initiative

Meet our faculty, the bold thinkers and innovators working across disciplines and boundaries in our effort to create a better tomorrow.

View our faculty