Welcome From The Chair

Message From The Director of Graduate Admissions

Welcome From The Chair

Chemical engineers possess the unique perspective and skills necessary to deal with matter from a molecular to a process scale. Their traditional role of providing the principal technical guidance for the chemical and petroleum industries has been greatly augmented in recent years. Chemical engineers now direct the advancement and utilization of technology for the food processing and consumer products industries and are playing increasing roles in the manufacture of the highest density computer chips and in the invention of advanced drug delivery systems. In addition to creating remediation strategies, chemical engineers contribute to the prevention of deleterious impact of society on the environment by the development of new "green" process technologies that eliminate the use of dangerous solvents. They are the leaders in the field of “sustainability,” which is the implementation of energy sources and raw material supplies that can sustain humankind indefinitely.

An emerging area for chemical engineers is the incorporation of principles of the life sciences, particularly molecular biology, to augment chemistry as a key foundation science for the discipline. We have embraced this new field of Biomolecular Engineering with faculty hires and expanded course offerings. While the integration of the life sciences into our curriculum is recent, students have taken a version of our “premed option” on their route to medical school for decades.

To create discoveries with lasting value and to best serve the educational development of our students, the research activities within our department focus on fundamentals. However, topics are chosen so as to also contribute to technology advancement. Some examples are development of “chip-sized” laboratories for analysis of DNA or detection of specific bacteria at very low concentrations and new “green” process technologies involving ionic liquids used for gas separation or as reaction solvents. Computational based activities extend from algorithmic improvement that enables better process design methodologies and faster atomistic and molecular simulations. Such calculations are used to provide insight into better performing catalysts, predict chemical properties of novel ionic liquids and devise improved ways of cooling high performance processors and enhancing current output of micro fuel cells.

Our Web page is intended to describe both the depth and breadth of our education and research efforts, to provide an overview of the undergraduate and graduate programs and to impart a brief glance at the campus and surrounding communities. To experience the unique atmosphere that exists here, we invite you to visit our campus and meet the students and faculty that comprise Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Notre Dame.

Mark McCready