Chemical engineer graduates might be involved in cutting­-edge research at a pharmaceutical company, discovering how to extend the shelf life of antibiotics, or they might be part of a creative team at a food manufacturing company, dreaming up a delicious new candy bar.

The department’s goal is to prepare students, through both innovative course work and challenging research, to be leaders in the many emerging fields that demand chemical and biological engineers. The program has been ranked 14th among all graduate programs, and eighth among public graduate programs. In addition, a high proportion (18/22) of tenure-­track faculty have won one or more national research awards.

The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE) offers an innovative graduate program and emphasizes the doctoral degree. General research areas within the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering include: biomaterials; biopharmaceutical engineering; catalysis, surface science and reaction engineering; complex fluids and microfluidic devices; computational science; energy and environmental applications; membranes and separations; metabolic engineering and directed evolution; nanostructured films and devices; polymer chemistry and engineering; and tissue engineering. 

There is a particular emphasis on research in biological engineering, functional materials and renewable energy. Research is supported in a variety of manners, including federal grants (NIH, NSF, DOD, etc.), national foundations (Howard Hughes, Cystic Fibrosis, etc.) and industrial collaborators.