The Department of Chemical Engineering at Auburn UniversityFrom the medicines we take and the fuel powering our cars, to the foods we eat and the environment in which we live, chemical engineering touches every part of our lives. It is a discipline with a unique focus on chemical and biological transformations and the systems in which these transformations occur.

The scope of chemical engineering has been broadened as discoveries in molecular biology, nanotechnology and alternative energy are adapted for commercial use. Auburn chemical engineers use chemistry, physics, biology and engineering principles to solve real-world problems involving energy, medicine, nanotechnology, and sustainability.

Auburn Chemical Engineering, one of nine departments (with eleven academic programs) in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, was established in 1913. With an enrollment of nearly 600 undergraduate students, about

90 full-time graduate students, a significant number of outreach graduate students, 19 full-time faculty members, and several visiting and part-time faculty, Auburn University boasts one of the Southeast’s largest chemical engineering programs. The department hosts two research and education centers: the Alabama Center for Paper and Bioresource Engineering and the Center for Microfibrous Materials Manufacturing.

Auburn Chemical Engineering is among the top departments in research expenditures with an average of $7.5 million per year in extramural research funding and recently ranked 26th in the nation in research expenditures (2011, Chemical and Engineering News). Recent research supporters include NSF, DARPA, DOE, DOD, ONR, Army, Department of Education, USDA, EPA, and various other government agencies and industries.

By actively expanding scientific and engineering knowledge through innovative research and creative partnerships involving academia, industry, and government, Auburn Chemical Engineering graduate students are provided with opportunities to further their education and to develop personally and professionally through research and faculty mentoring.

A chemical engineering degree enables graduates to pursue careers in industries such as energy and petrochemicals, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, health care, biomedical, pulp and paper, specialty chemicals and consumer products, microelectronics, advanced materials and nanotechnology, polymers and environmental management/remediation.

Because chemical engineering affects many aspects of our day-to-day lives, the job market for chemical engineers remains strong.

Auburn University is an equal-opportunity employer.

Microfibrous Materials

Nanotechnology

Nanostructured& Nanofunctional Materials

Polymers & Biopolymers

Energy Systems Advanced Materials& Nanotechnology

Biomedical Engineering

Biomaterials

Biochemical Engineering

Bioprocessing

Biocatalysis

Biological EngineeringPharmaceutical Engineering

& Drug Delivery

Biosensors

Environmental Biotechnology

Tissue Engineering

Process & Product Design

Process Control

Green Chemistry & Engineering

Sustainable Engineering

Computer-aided Chemical Engineering

Systems Engineering

Biomaterials

Biomimetic Materials

Micro/Nano-electro Mechanical Systems

Surface & Colliod Science

Thin Films

Biofuels & Biorefining

Alternative Fuel Synthesis& Processing

Mobile Fuel Processors

Energy Production

High-performance EnergyConversion & Storage

Catalysis & Reaction Engineering

Gasification & Gas-to-liquidsTechnology

Biomedical & Biochemical Engineering

Auburn Chemical Engineering offers an excellent opportunity to contribute to ongoing research projects in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, stem cells, bioprocessing, cell sorting and detection, and advanced materials for drug delivery and biomedical imaging. With access to state-of-the-art facilities and an environment that promotes interdisciplinary collaborations with researchers in other academic departments and programs, such as the Auburn University Research Initiative in Cancer, the Boshell Diabetes and Metabolic Disease Research Program, the Cellular and Molecular Biosciences Program, graduate students in the Auburn chemical engineering program are working at the forefront of bioengineering research.

Auburn researchers are developing systematic methods for the design, operation, control and optimization of large-scale chemical processes. These methods are used to solve problems, not only in the traditional chemical process industries, but also in the pharmaceutical and biochemical sectors. The availability of low-cost chemical feedstocks from natural gas will have a significant impact on how chemical plants will be designed and operated. Concomitant societal awareness of sustainability must be considered when developing new products and processes. This shift has expanded the scope and complexity of computer-aided design and opened up exciting opportunities for innovation, particularly at the interface between process and product design.

Auburn Chemical Engineering has been a leader in energy research for several decades, ranging from clean coal technologies in the 1970s through fuel cell systems and mobile fuel processors to next generation biofuels and integrated biorefineries. Experimental and computational studies enable molecularly informed design of novel chemistries, catalyst architectures and processes for viable alternative energy solutions. Collaboration with researchers in forestry, biosystems engineering, and the Auburn Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts, combines expertise in production, harvesting, processing, and handling of biomass with expertise in biochemical and thermochemical conversion, expertise in fundamental catalysis and molecular behavior, and expertise in process optimization to develop sustainable energy production systems.

The ability to control the size, shape and composition of materials has improved tremendously over the last few decades. There remains much to be discovered, and an improved understanding of the role of material structure on the properties of those materials will be key to further advances in the field. Auburn researchers are elucidating the role of surface science on materials processing and on their interactions with inert, reactive, and biological systems. Combined with an environment that promotes collaboration, this is resulting in remarkable developments by our researchers in fields as varied as biomimetics, MEMS/NEMS, nanomedicine, nanocomposites, catalysis, energy, and bioresource engineering.

Systems Engineering

Energy Systems

Advanced Materials & Nanotechnology

Select Strategic Research Focus Areas

CONSIDERING GRADUATE SCHOOL?APPLY NOW TO EXPERIENCE AUBURN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING’S EXCITING RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT

The Department of Chemical Engineering at Auburn University is recognized as one of the top research programs in the Southeastern United States. During the past decade, Auburn Chemical Engineering has continued to increase in size and strength, allowing the program to provide distinct opportunities to its students, and produce innovative research.

Applications are being accepted online through January 15. Competitive applicants will be invited to join us in early February to meet with faculty and current graduate students, tour our facilities, and experience our dynamic research program.

Highly competitive fellowships of up to $32,000 annually for qualified students, including GAANN fellowship programs in chemical engineering as well as biological/pharmaceutical engineering, and NSF-IGERT traineeships in integrated biorefi ning for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals

Tuition waivers for all students on fellowship

Ongoing investments in new research equipment and technology, including peptide synthesis, mass spectrometry, and atomic force microscopy

Cutting-edge research areas, including nanotechnology, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and sustainable energy

One-on-one interaction with faculty who are internationally recognized leaders and innovators in their areas of research

APPLY NOW!Graduate Recruiting ChairDepartment of Chemical Engineering212 Ross HallAuburn University, AL 36849

chemical@eng.auburn.edueng.auburn.edu/chenecm.eng.auburn.edu/wp/chengradschool

334.844.4827