Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Our Scope: From Classical to Contemporary |
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Intellectually, the Department provides the critical link between engineering and the sciences, particularly the chemical and life sciences, by bridging the gap between molecular-level, laboratory-scale studies of chemical and biological transformations and the large-scale industrial production operations. With the recent revolution in molecular biology and life sciences, the Department has expanded its traditional scope to include solutions to problems in biomedicine, biotechnology, systems biology, protein engineering, drug-delivery systems, and chemotherapeutic engineering, among others. The Department has also responded to the emergence of nanoscience and technology as a viable new frontier by expanding the classical role of chemical engineering in “scaling up” processes to include problems that require “scaling down” phenomena and processes for applications in labs-on-chips and plants-on-chips devices. |
While consolidating and extending its scope in biological and life sciences, the Department continues to maintain and enhance its strengths in traditional core areas such as process and systems engineering, catalysis and reaction engineering, advanced separation processes and transport phenomena. At the same time, it supports innovative activities in functionalized and smart materials (e.g., for biosensors, molecular and polymer electronics, novel smart membranes for separation processes and novel optoelectronic and photonic materials) and nanostructured materials (e.g., for new catalysts and fuel cells). |
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