The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering conducts undergraduate and graduate programs of teaching and research that focus on the areas of biomolecular engineering, systems engineering, and advanced materials processing and span the general themes of energy/environment and nanoengineering. Aside from the fundamentals of chemical engineering (thermodynamics, transport phenomena, kinetics, reactor engineering and separations), particular emphasis is given to metabolic engineering, protein engineering, synthetic biology, bio-nano-technology, biomaterials, air pollution, environmental modeling, pollution prevention, molecular simulation, process systems engineering, membrane science, semiconductor processing, chemical vapor deposition, plasma processing, and polymer engineering.
Students are trained in the fundamental principles of these fields while acquiring sensitivity to society’s needs — a crucial combination needed to address the challenge of continued industrial growth and innovation in an era of economic, environmental, and energy constraints.
The undergraduate curriculum leads to a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and includes the standard core curriculum, as well as biomedical engineering, biomolecular engineering, environmental engineering, and semiconductor manufacturing engineering options. The department also offers graduate courses and research leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Both graduate and undergraduate programs closely relate teaching and research to important industrial problems.
The chemical engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
The mission of the undergraduate program is to educate future leaders in chemical and biomolecular engineering who effectively combine their broad knowledge of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics with their engineering analysis and design skills for the creative solution of problems in chemical and biological technology and for the synthesis of innovative (bio)chemical processes and products. This goal is achieved by producing chemical and biomolecular engineering alumni who (1) draw readily on a rigorous education in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology in addition to the fundamentals of chemical engineering to creatively solve problems in chemical and biological technology, (2) incorporate social, ethical, environmental, and economical considerations, including the concept of sustainable development, into chemical and biomolecular engineering practice, (3) lead or participate successfully on multidisciplinary teams assembled to tackle complex multifaceted problems that may require implementation of both experimental and computational approaches and a broad array of analytical tools, and (4) pursue graduate study and achieve an M.S. or Ph.D. degree in the sciences and engineering and/or achieve success as professionals in chemical and biomolecular engineering as well as related fields, including business, medicine, and environmental protection.
