Graduate Programs
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Historically, the field of chemical engineering has had a long and rich tradition as one of the core engineering disciplines, built on a solid foundation in chemistry, physics, and mathematics. However, with the maturity of the chemical process industry, chemical engineering is no longer concerned only with flow in pipes, solution chemistry, chemical reactions, and unit operations. Instead, the past decade has seen a revolution in the field, characterized primarily by an increased interest in applying chemical engineering tools and analytical skills to study highly-interdisciplinary problems involving complex systems (e.g., in biotechnology and biological systems) and molecular-level phenomena (e.g., in microtechnology and nanotechnology). Since its inception in 1987, UC Irvine's Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science has directed its attention on cutting-edge problems beyond the scope of traditional chemical engineering, a trend now mirrored in most major academic institutions around the world.
Our department's historic strength in bioprocessing and biotechnology has evolved in the past few years to include complementary research activities in chemical and biochemical engineering that encompass four main thrust areas. These highly-interdisciplinary thrust areas, along with the faculty who conduct research in each of these categories, are listed below.
Biotechnology and Biosystems Engineering
Faculty: DaSilva, Grant, George, Hong, Lim, Putnam, Venugopalan, Wang
Tissue Engineering
Faculty: George, Putnam
Bio-Transport Phenomena
Faculty: Grant, George, Venugopalan
Biomolecular, Biomaterial, and Interfacial Engineering
Faculty: DaSilva, Earthman, Putnam, Wang
Smart and Multifunctional Materials
Faculty: Mecartney, Mohraz, Mumm, Wang, Yee
Electronic and Optical Materials
Faculty:Lu, Shi
Fuel Cell and Energy System Materials
Faculty: Mecartney, Mumm
Nanostructured Materials
Faculty: Earthman, Mohammed, Mohraz, Ragan, Yee
The cross-disciplinary nature of the department and the faculty's research interests fosters a creative and highly stimulating environment for graduate study. Many of our students have gone on to become faculty at other institutions, and leaders in their respective fields. We invite you to visit the links to each of the above thrust areas, as well as the links to individual faculty, to read more detailed descriptions of the specific research activities within the department.
For general information about graduate programs in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, please visit student affairs.
