The Materials and Surface Science Institute (MSSI) is a national centre of excellence that generates state-of-the-art fundamental research on topics of industrial significance in the fields of surface science and materials.

MSSI has gathered together faculty members from a range of academic disciplines (materials, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, and electronic, mechanical, biomedical and aeronautical engineering).

MSSI utilises this interdisciplinary approach to develop and characterise materials from the atomic to the macroscopic scale, providing new materials, processes and applications, which are guided by a fundamental understanding of material properties and design requirements.

The research strengths and interests of MSSI reside in four areas:

1. Nanomaterials
2. Biomaterials
3. Composite and Glass Materials
4. Bio/Catalysis and Clean Technology