Chemical Engineering
MIT’s Chemical Engineering Department offers programs of research and teaching which span the breadth of chemical engineering with unprecedented depth in fundamentals and applications. Our broad undergraduate program covers the application of chemical engineering to a variety of specific areas, including energy and the environment, nanotechnology, polymers and colloids, surface science, catalysis and reaction engineering, systems and process design, and biotechnology, with a track focusing on chemical-biological engineering for students interested in the emerging biotech and life sciences industries. Graduate study at MIT offers the opportunity to do important, leading-edge research in any of a broad range of innovative areas. Grad students may also earn a professional master’s degree through the David H. Koch School of Chemical Engineering Practice, a one-of-a-kind program where students help define and solve engineering problems at industrial hosts around the world by applying chemical engineering fundamentals. In collaboration with the Sloan School of Management, the Department also offers a doctoral program in Chemical Engineering Practice, which integrates chemical engineering, research and management. At all levels, research in the department focuses on fundamental knowledge and applied technologies, converging with that of many other fields; we work across disciplines within MIT as well as with research organizations and commercial enterprises worldwide.
Research in the department focuses on fundamental knowledge and applied technologies in the following areas:
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Thermodynamics and molecular computation
Covers the many aspects of classical and statistical thermodynamics, including the application of quantum mechanics to catalyst design, the behavior of complex fluids, protein stabilization, and the nucleation and crystallization of pharmaceuticals.
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Transport processes
Researches transport phenomena such as polymer molecular theory and processing, membrane separations, diffusion in complex fluids, microfluidics, and transport in living tissue.
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Catalysis and chemical reaction engineering
Conducts studies in catalyst design, complex chemical synthesis, bioreactor design, surface- and gas-phase chemistry, the miniaturization of reactors, and much more.
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Polymers
Explores topics including polymerization kinetics, non-Newtonian rheology, block copolymers, liquid crystalline polymers, nanocomposites and nanofibers, and self-assembly and patterning.
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Materials
Studies range from plasma etching and thin-film chemical vapor deposition to crystal growth, molecular simulation, and soft tissue regeneration.
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Surfaces and nanostructures
Includes the study of colloids, emulsions, surfactants, thin films, liquid crystals, sol-gel processing, control of pharmaceutical morphology, and surface patterning.
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Biological engineering
Covers protein purification, metabolic processes, tissue regeneration, gene regulation, bioprocesses, bioinformatics, biomaterials, drug delivery, and more.
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Energy and environmental engineering
Encompasses studies in combustion, renewable energy, non-conventional fuels, carbon dioxide capture, water purification, air pollution modeling, and novel energy conversion processes.
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Systems design and simulation
Develops methodologies for process and product modeling and simulation, computer-aided engineering, operations research, optimization theory, treatment of uncertainty, and multiscale systems engineering.
