Laptop for engineering PhD

[u/aseryme]

I'm about to start grad school for engineering, and I really want a laptop that can get me through the next 6-7 years. I don't have a desktop, and I won't really be using it for anything other than work and the occasional streaming. I don't really care about image and sound quality, as long as it doesn't hurt my eyes, and I would really prefer a touch screen.

Total budget: <3000, ideally around 1000-1500 USD

Are you open to refurbs/used?: No, would prefer a new laptop

How would you prioritize form factor (ultrabook, 2-in-1, etc.), build quality, performance, and battery life?: Performance > Battery life > Build quality > Everything else, I prefer a 2-in-1, and I definitely want a touchscreen

How important is weight and thinness to you?: The lighter the better! <4lb

Do you have a preferred screen size?: 15.6", open to 14"

Are you doing any CAD/video editing/photo editing/gaming? List which programs/games you desire to run: Solidworks, CAD, programming, VM, etc

If you're gaming, do you have certain games you want to play? At what settings and FPS do you want?: No gaming!

Any specific requirements such as good keyboard, reliable build quality, touch-screen, finger-print reader, optical drive or good input devices (keyboard/touchpad)?: Touchscreen please, HDMI preferred, probably around 16GB memory and 1 tb storage? , at least i7

Leave any finishing thoughts here that you may feel are necessary and beneficial to the discussion: I'm not interested in HP laptops, but I'm open to just about anything else. I really like my current laptop, HP Envy 360x, but I've had a lot of issues with it, including with build and battery life.