The department of chemical and biochemical engineering has excellent research and teaching facilities in the 68,000 square foot Bertelsmeyer Hall and pursues cutting-edge experimental, computational, and theoretical projects. The principal areas of research include biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical engineering, bioseparations and bioassembly, multiphase reactors engineering, nanostructured materials and nanotechnology, adsorption and separation, transport and interfacial phenomena, modeling-aided design and characterization, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, sustainable infrastructure, environmental remediation, energy technology, process design, and education pedagogies.
Examples of recent and ongoing graduate research topics include drug and gene delivery, protein purification, protein aggregation, static light scattering, polymeric nanoparticles, nanofluids, nano-film coating, atomic layer deposition, flue gas and wastewater treatments, petroleum hydrotreating, advanced process measurement, reaction mechanisms and kinetics, battery, energy materials, porous media, structured adsorbents, metal organic framework, hydrogel, gas separation, hydrogen storage, catalysis, membrane, dynamic contact angles, solubilization kinetics, electrodeposition, enhancement oil recovery, cement-based materials, CO2 capture and utilization, gas flare design, hybrid energy systems, process intensification, control and optimization, hydrocarbon lubricants, food dehydration, molecular and multiscale modeling.
The graduate program of the chemical and biochemical engineering department offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering. A baccalaureate degree in chemical engineering or a closely allied discipline with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0/4.0 or equivalent is required for admission into one of the graduate degree programs.
The departmental core courses for the graduate program are CHEM ENG 5100, CHEM ENG 5110, CHEM ENG 5150 and CHEM ENG 5220. All students, except for those in their first semester and in their last semester as PhD students, need to register for 1 credit hour of CHEM ENG 6015 Lecture Series every semester. Lecture Series can be used for a total of 3 hours towards graduate students' 6000 level course requirements.
The master of science thesis program consists of a minimum of 30 semester hours, including 12 hours from the departmental graduate core course requirement plus 6-12 hours of additional coursework. A M.S. thesis from research must also be prepared and defended, which shall include 6-12 credit hours of CHEM ENG 6099.
A master of science non-thesis program consists of 30 semester hours of coursework, including 12 hours from the departmental graduate core course requirement plus 12 hours of additional coursework within the department. The program of study must include a minimum of 9 credit hours of 6000-level courses in or out of the department, of which up to three can come from CHEM ENG 6015.
A candidate for the Ph.D. degree normally follows a program of 72 semester hours beyond the B.S. degree or 42 semester hours beyond the M.S. degree. Research for M.S. and Ph.D. may be coordinated, or a Ph.D. may be pursued without an M.S. degree. The Ph.D. coursework must satisfy the departmental graduate core course requirement and must include CHEM ENG 6100, CHEM ENG 6110, and at least 6 additional hours of 6000-level courses in or out of the department for a minimum of twelve 6000-level credit hours. To maintain PhD candidacy, a minimum GPA of 3.0 from 5000- and 6000-level courses on campus is required.
In addition to the course requirements, all Ph.D. students must pass the qualifying exam, which consists of written and oral assignments specified by the department. The comprehensive examination, consisting of written and oral presentation of a research proposal, should be taken following the completion of all required coursework and at least 12 weeks prior to the final examination. The final examination, consisting of the dissertation defense based on PhD research, should be conducted according to the rules of the graduate faculty, College of Engineering and Computing, and the department. A PhD candidate, in consultation with the candidates research advisor, should form an advisory committee for comprehensive exam and dissertation defense. The advisory committee is chaired by the research advisor and must include at least three CHEM ENG faculty members.