Chemical engineers discover, design, and create processes to transform matter, whether they're using controlled reactions to create useful products or advanced theory and computational techniques to design entirely new molecules or materials from scratch. Chemical engineers drive the manufacture of commodity chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fuels, and fertilizers, as well as functional materials such as semiconductors, polymers, and nanoparticles. Their work is critical to creating solutions for global challenges such as renewable energy, carbon capture, clean water, and the development of sustainable/recyclable materials.
Students who choose chemical engineering at Oregon State University will gain a solid background in chemistry (general, organic, and physical), thermodynamics, and transport phenomena, in addition to calculus, physics, and core engineering studies. Advanced coursework includes mass transfer operations, chemical reaction engineering, and chemical plant design. All students complete a capstone design project.
Our diverse faculty pursue a variety of research interests, with concentrations of expertise in surface chemistry/catalysis, reaction engineering, and computational modeling/simulation. Areas of interest include renewable energy (including battery chemistry, solar cells, hydrogen production, fuel cell technology, thermal energy storage), microreactors, advanced sensors, nanoparticles, semiconductors, and smart surfaces.