Master of Science
Chemical Engineering
NOTE: Courses listed in previous catalogs with “CM” as the prefix and the same course number as below are considered to be the SAME COURSE.
Faculty
S. C. Roberts, Professor and Department Head; Ph.D., Cornell University. Cellular engineering, plant cell culture, biotechnology, metabolic pathway engineering
C. M. Bailey-Hytholt, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Brown University. Biomaterials, drug and gene delivery, lipid-based systems, diagnostics, biointerfaces, prenatal and women’s health
T. A. Camesano, Professor and Dean of Graduate Studies; Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University. Bacterial adhesion and interaction forces, biopolymers, bacterial/natural organic matter interactions
N. A. Deskins, Professor; Ph.D., Purdue University. Energy production, nanomaterials research and development, pollution control and abatement, catalysis and chemical kinetics, and computational chemistry
D. DiBiasio, Professor; Ph.D., Purdue University. Engineering education, teaching and learning, assessment
A. G. Dixon, Professor; Ph.D., University of Edinburgh. Transport in chemical reactors, applications of CFD to catalyst and reactor design, membrane separation and reactors
N. K. Kazantzis, Professor; Ph.D., University of Michigan. Techno-economic performance analysis, sustainable design and control of chemical processes, energy production and environmental systems, valuation methods for clean energy technology options in the presence of uncertainty, process safety and chemical risk analysis
S. J. Kmiotek, Professor of Practice, Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Chemical process safety, air pollution control, pollution prevention
A. R. Maag, Assistant Research Professor; Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Liquid phase catalysis, waste-to-energy, spectroscopy, reaction engineering
A. Panahi, Assistant Research Professor, Ph.D., Northeastern University. Renewable energy, Waste to Energy, Combustion, Gasification, Hydrothermal Processes, and Metal fuels
E. J. Stewart, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., University of Michigan. Biological soft matter, bacterial biofilms, biophysics of host-pathogen interactions, complex fluids, microfluidics.
A. R. Teixeira, Associate Professor; Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Amherst. Reaction engineering, heterogeneous catalysis, microfluidic crystallization
X. Teng, Professor; Ph.D., University of Rochester. Electrochemical engineering, aqueous batteries, alcohol fuel cells, electrocatalysis, X-ray/neutron scattering
M. T. Timko, Professor, Ph.D., MIT. Renewable energy, liquid and biomass fuels, reaction engineering, fuel refining and desulfurization
G.A. Tompsett, Research Professor; PhD, Waikato University, New Zealand. Waste-to-energy, spectroscopic characterization, heterogeneous catalysis
E. M. Young, Assistant Professor; Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin. Synthetic biology, metabolic pathway engineering, yeast gene expression, transport protein engineering
H. S. Zhou, Professor; Ph.D., University of California-Irvine. Bioanotechnology, bioseparations, micro- and nano-bioelectronics, bioMEMS, microfluidics, polymer thin films, surface modification, microelectronic and photonic packaging
W. P. Zurawsky, Associate Teaching Professor; Ph.D., University of Illinois. Membrane permeation and separations, plasma processing.
Emeritus
W. M. Clark, Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., Rice University
R. Datta, Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Y. H. Ma, Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
R. W. Thompson, Professor Emeritus; Ph.D., Iowa State University
Research Interests
The Chemical Engineering Department’s research efforts are concentrated in the following major areas: bioengineering and biomanufacturing, materials and soft matter, energy and the environment and computational science and engineering.
Programs of Study
Students have the opportunity to do creative work on state-of-the-art research projects as a part of their graduate study in chemical engineering. The program offers excellent preparation for rewarding careers in research, industry or education. Selection of graduate courses and thesis project is made with the aid of a faculty advisor with whom the student works closely. All graduate students participate in a seminar during each term of residence.
The master’s degree program in chemical engineering is concerned with the advanced topics of the field. There are three choices for students wishing to obtain advanced knowledge in chemical engineering and related fields: professional engineering option with concentration, thesis option and non-thesis option. All students must complete three of the four core courses offered in mathematics, thermodynamics, reaction engineering, and transport phenomena. In addition, they choose courses from a wide range of electives and available projects.
In the doctoral program, a broad knowledge of chemical engineering topics is required for success in the qualifying examination. Beyond this point, more intensive specialization is achieved in the student’s field of research through coursework and thesis research.
Admission Requirements
An undergraduate degree in chemical engineering is preferred for master’s and doctoral degree applicants. Those with related backgrounds (e.g., chemistry, biomedical engineering, physics) are also encouraged to apply. We work closely with each student on individual plans to assure they are appropriately prepared for the master’s and doctoral curricula, including participation in a “boot camp” course.
Chemical Engineering Research Centers and Laboratories
Research is housed in both Goddard Hall and Gateway Park (Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center; LSBC). The LSBC is a four-story, 125,000-square-foot interdisciplinary research building that houses life sciences faculty in the departments of Biology and Biotechnology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering and Physics. Both Goddard Hall and LSBC are equipped with state of the art instrumentation and core facilities to support catalysis and reaction engineering work and bioengineering work, respectively. In addition, the Chemical Engineering Department participates in and/or leads a number of research center efforts on campus including the Energy Research Center, Center for Advanced Research in Drying, Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center, Fuel Cell Center, and Metal Processing Institute.
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Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, -
Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Ph.D.
Classes
CH 554/CHE 554: Molecular Modeling
Department
This course trains students in the area of molecular modeling using a variety of quantum mechanical and force field methods. The approach will be toward practical applications, for researchers who want to answer specific questions about molecular geometry, transition states, reaction paths and photoexcited states. No experience in programming is necessary; however, a background at the introductory level in quantum mechanics is highly desirable. Methods to be explored include density functional theory, ab initio methods, semiempirical molecular orbital theory, and visualization software for the graphical display of molecules.
CHE 501-502: Seminar
Department
Reports on current advances in the various branches of chemical engineering or on graduate research in progress. Must be taken during every semester in residence.
CHE 503: Colloquium
Department
Presentations on scientific advances by recognized experts in various fields of chemical engineering and related disciplines. The course will be graded on a Pass/Fail basis.
CHE 504: Mathematical Analysis in Chemical Engineering*
Department
An essential skill of an engineer is to provide analytical and numerical solutions to relevant problems. This course will provide students with a solid mathematical background required to solve chemical engineering problems in fields such as fluid mechanics, reactor design, thermodynamics, and process design. Methods of mathematical analysis relevant to engineering will be selected from such topics as vector analysis, matrices, eigenvalue problems, Fourier analysis, Fourier transforms, Laplace transformation, solution of ordinary and partial differential equations, integral equations, calculus of variation, optimization methods, and numerical methods. Students should have a background in undergraduate calculus and differential equations.
*Core chemical engineering courses.
CHE 509: Reactor Design and Kinetics*
Department
This course includes a review of prototypical chemical reactors, including design of batch, stirred tank, and tubular reactors. Theories of reaction kinetics and catalysis for simple and complex reactions are addressed. Reactor design is discussed within the context of complex transport phenomena and reaction kinetics, including effects of bulk and pore diffusion and multiphase reactions/reactors. Techniques for experimentation, reaction data treatment, catalyst preparation and characterization, and computational tools are also included. Students cannot receive credit for this course and CHE 506 or CHE 507, which this class replaces.
*Core chemical engineering courses.
CHE 515: Research Analysis and Design
Department
Effective research requires understanding methods of data collection and analysis. Students will learn to apply statistical methods to analyzing data, develop mathematical models from data, visually present information, and design experiments to maximize the gain of useful information. Emphasis will also be on performing research ethically and according to accepted practices. Other topics that may be covered include: efficient use of the literature, creating and testing a hypothesis, making sound arguments, and preparing results for publication. Students should have a background in calculus. Students may not receive credit if they previously completed this course as CHE 580: Special Topics.
CHE 521: Biochemical Engineering
Department
Ligand binding and membrane transport processes, growth kinetics of animal cells and micro-organisms, kinetics of interacting multiple populations, biological reactor design and analysis, soluble immobilized enzyme kinetics, optimization and control of fermentation, biopolymer structure and function, properties of biological molecules, biological separation processes, scale-up of bioprocesses; laboratory work may be included when possible.
CHE 531: Fuel Cell Technology
Department
The course provides an overview of the various types of fuel cells followed by a detailed discussion of the proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell fundamentals: thermodynamics relations including cell equilibrium, standard potentials, and Nernst equation; transport and adsorption in proton-exchange membranes and supported liquid electrolytes; transport in gas-diffusion electrodes; kinetics and catalysis of electrocatalytic reactions including kinetics of elementary reactions, the Butler-Volmer equation, reaction routes and mechanisms; kinetics of overall anode and cathode reactions for hydrogen and direct methanol fuel cells; and overall design and performance characteristics of PEM fuel cells.
CHE 561: Thermodynamics*
Department
Thermodynamics is at the heart of many systems of interest to chemical engineers, from the efficiency of simple mechanical processes to the equilibria of complex reactions. This course is a rigorous treatment of classical thermodynamics, with reference to the field of statistical thermodynamics. Key modules include First and Second Law analysis; behavior and interrelationships of thermodynamic properties; and fluid phase and chemical equilibria. Example topics may include analysis of open and dynamic systems; fundamental relationships; Legendre transforms and generalized potentials; Maxwell relationships; stability theory; thermodynamics of mixtures; fugacity, activity, and chemical potential; phase equilibria of systems containing two or more components; and generalized treatment of chemical equilibria.
*Core chemical engineering courses.
CHE 565: Advanced Process Engineering
Department
Advanced topics in process synthesis, optimization and process control are examined. Optimization topics include objective functions, multivariable optimization, constrained optimization, mixed integer linear programming and applications of optimization to process industries. Control topics include model predictive control, adaptive control, batch process control, and plant-wide control.
Recommended Background
Undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering.
CHE 571: Transport Phenomena*
Department
Transport rates of mass, energy, and momentum are key to the design of many chemical technologies. This class adopts a unified approach to transport phenomena, providing the fundamental background required for analysis of complex problems. Students will use mathematical techniques for analytic and approximate solutions such as: separation of variables, similarity solutions, perturbation theory, and Laplace and Fourier transform methods. Methods involving non-dimensionalization and scaling will be emphasized. Special problems to be covered may include the lubrication approximation, creeping flow, and potential and laminar boundary-layer flows, as well as heat and mass transport in multi-component systems. Students are expected to have taken previous courses on transport processes and have mathematical background that includes solution of differential equations.
*Core chemical engineering courses.
CHE 580: Special Topics
Department
This course will focus on various topics of current interest related to faculty research experience.
CHE 590: Graduate Qualifying Project in Chemical Engineering
Department
These courses provide a capstone experience in applying chemical engineering skills to real-world problems. The Graduate Qualifying Project (GQP) is carried out with an industrial partner or sponsoring agency and with the approval and oversight of a faculty member in chemical engineering. A written report and a presentation to members of the department and industrial partners are required.
Prerequisites
Completion of core requirements, at least one concentration course and consent of the program director.
Recommended Background
Undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering, completion of the core requirements and at least one concentration course.
CHE 599: M.S. Thesis Research and Thesis Defense
Department