NSF Awards $3M to Penn State to Launch Data-Driven Sustainable Materials Training Program

Penn State has received a $3 million NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) award to establish a graduate training initiative that integrates data science, sustainability, and advanced materials processing. The five-year program, called Sus-Mat (Data science-driven, sustainability-centered advanced materials processing), will prepare future engineers and scientists to design next-generation materials with full life-cycle impact in mind.

Led by Allison Beese, professor of materials science and engineering, Sus-Mat will train students to use AI, machine learning, and data-driven frameworks to understand how material composition, processing methods, and environmental considerations jointly shape material performance. The program emphasizes circularity, sustainable manufacturing, and public policy, aiming to accelerate adoption of innovative, low-impact materials technologies and strengthen U.S. manufacturing resilience.

Sus-Mat will develop a new convergent graduate certificate, Data-Driven Sustainable Design for Circularity in Advanced Materials Processing, along with micro-credentials and digital badges to broaden access to training across disciplines and institutions. Trainees will also complete professional development activities, internships, and a capstone project in collaboration with faculty from engineering, earth and mineral sciences, architecture, liberal arts, and computer science.

Across five years, the program will directly support 50 graduate students, with many more benefiting through coursework and training modules. Faculty leaders emphasized the need to move beyond static materials property handbooks toward dynamic, data-enabled tools that reflect modern manufacturing environments with numerous processing variables.

By integrating sustainability, advanced processing, and data analytics into a unified curriculum, the Sus-Mat NRT positions Penn State as a leader in training the next generation of researchers capable of driving circular, sustainable materials innovation in an evolving geopolitical and environmental landscape.

Read more: $3M NSF grant to fund sustainable materials design graduate training program