Overview
The Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Rochester invents and educates students in technologies, materials, and tools that benefit society. One of the first chemical engineering programs in the US, our department and alumni are responsible for inventing technologies critical to the evolution of cameras and photography, photocopiers, and ultra-high-definition displays.
All of the department’s activities are carried out through the lens of engineering for sustainability. That is, efficient chemical processes using earth-abundant catalysts, synthetic biology and microbial engineering for environmental remediation, plastics designed for recyclability, and the use of artificial intelligence in the design of materials and systems.
Our ABET-accredited undergraduate program allows students to forge deep intellectual connections between the basic sciences, math, and fundamental engineering principles. Unique among our competitors, we offer a:
- Guaranteed research experience in a faculty-led laboratory for all students for either pay or credit (including access to the Eisenberg Summer Research Fellowship)
- Streamlined access to a 5-year BS/MS program with a substantial tuition discount
- Student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1
We are a close-nit community of scholars in which the faculty know all of the students by name and are invested in their success. Past graduates of our program have obtained employment in a wide variety of industries, including S&P 500 companies, government positions, and as professors at universities. We also offer a minor in chemical engineering and participate in the interdepartmental minor in environmental engineering.
At the graduate level, we offer MS and PhD programs in chemical engineering, with concentrations at the MS level in bioengineering, computational modeling and machine learning, and sustainability and the environment. The centerpiece of the selective PhD program is the carrying out of thesis research in one of 14 faculty research groups. Our young, dynamic faculty work at the cutting edge of:
- Advanced materials
- Batteries
- Biological and medical systems
- Catalysis and electrocatalysis
- Computational fluid dynamics
- Functional interfaces
- Optical materials
- Theory, simulations and artificial intelligence
Many of our faculty hold affiliations in the School of Medicine and Dentistry, the Goergen Institute for Data Science, the Materials Science Program, and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. The average time to completion of the PhD program is approximately five years.
Living in Rochester
Rochester is New York's third-largest metropolitan area and is home to over a million people. Civil rights leaders like Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony hail from this vibrant city. Rochester is a welcoming, friendly place with top public schools and hospitals, a low unemployment rate, and low cost of living.
Located between Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes region in Upstate New York, Rochester is teeming with diversity, education, arts and culture, nightlife, restaurants, recreation, sports, and architecture, but at the same time provides affordability, accessibility, community and hospitality. Greater Rochester International Airport, only 10 minutes from the University of Rochester campus, has 19 nonstop destinations and most locations in the Americas and popular locations in Europe and Asia can be reached with one stop.
People of Rochester enjoy more than 3,500 acres of nationally recognized parks. The Genesee River’s waterfalls and gorges, the Erie Canal, Irondequoit Bay, and Lake Ontario are perfect for a day of cruising or watersports, such as sailing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, or fishing. The Finger Lakes are also nearby; they are a huge tourist attraction for their picturesque setting and famous wineries. Every fall, the region’s many orchards offer a taste of the best apples and other fruit to savor. During the winter, residents bundle up and head to nearby ski slopes and sledding hills; snowmobiling is also a favorite pastime on the many groomed trails in nearby areas.
Rochester is world-renowned for its lively cultural scene, from the world-class Eastman School of Music, to museums, galleries, theaters, and festivals. Rochesterians have a choice of events centered on food, music, the arts and culture. Famous museums include the Rochester Museum of Fine Arts, the Rochester Contemporary Art Center, the Memorial Art Gallery, the National Susan B. Anthony Museum, the George Eastman Museum, and the Strong National Museum of Play.
Whether you’re looking to join us as a student, faculty member, staff member, or postdoc, we’re excited to help you make your home in Rochester. You can learn more about everything Rochester has to offer by visiting the Visit Rochester website, the University of Rochester At a Glance page, or the Campus Life page.