Undergraduate Program and Chemical Engineering (AECHEBASC)
Associate Chair, Undergraduate Student Experience and Associate Professor, Teaching Stream
Jennifer Farmer, Ph.D.
Room 201A Wallberg Building
416-978-6561
jennifer.farmer@utoronto.ca
Professor and Associate Chair, Undergraduate Curriculum Development
William R. Cluett, B.Sc. (Queen’s), Ph.D. (Alberta), P.Eng. (Ontario), F.C.I.C., F.A.A.A.S., F.E.C.
416-978-5889
will.cluett@utoronto.ca
Undergraduate Advisor
Tracey Peters
Room 216A, Wallberg Building
416-978-5336
ugrad.chemeng@utoronto.ca
Undergraduate Assistant, Program Development
Nivetha Pandi
Room 216A, Wallberg Building
416-978-5336
ugradassist.chemeng@utoronto.ca
Chemical engineering is the primary engineering discipline that is based on the fundamental sciences of chemistry, physics, biochemistry and mathematics, in which processes are conceived, designed and operated to effect compositional changes in materials of all kinds. Chemical engineers play an important role in the development of a healthier environment and safer and healthier industrial workplaces. They develop new industrial processes that are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly and create products that improve quality of life. Chemical engineers are responsible for improvements in technologies and in evaluating and controlling hazards. In addition to the basic sciences, chemical engineers use a well-defined body of knowledge in the application of the conservation laws that determine mass flow and energy relations; thermodynamics and kinetics which determine whether or not reactions are feasible and the rate at which they occur; and the chemical engineering rate laws that determine limits to the transfer of heat, mass and momentum.
Students who graduate from the chemical engineering program are skilled problem solvers. A strong background in applied chemistry furnishes the chemical engineer with the knowledge to participate in the broadest range of engineering activities and pursue other professional careers in management, medicine, law, teaching and government. Instruction in important aspects of economic analysis is also included. In the Fall Term of fourth year, students participate in small teams in the design of a chemical plant. Fourth-year students may undertake individual full-year research projects. These projects, the culmination of which is a thesis, serve, in many cases, as an introduction to research, and provides opportunities to apply the principles developed during the first three years of the program to problems of engineering interest. A thesis project may, for example, concern an experimental laboratory investigation, the design of a process, or a computer study of a complex chemical system.
The technical elective subjects available in years three and four cover a wide range of fundamental and application areas of chemical engineering and applied chemistry. By choosing electives from a restricted list, it is possible for students to complete the requirements for an engineering minor. A minor signifies that a student has gained an enhanced understanding of a specific field of study. For more information on the various minors, please see the sections of the Calendar relating to these programs.
Graduate Programs in Chemical Engineering
The Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry provides exciting opportunities for students who would like to pursue advanced studies beyond the undergraduate level toward the MEng, MASc or PhD degrees. The Department offers more than 20 graduate-level courses toward the study requirements of the degree programs. Financial support is provided to graduate students through research grants and/or fellowships, together with some undergraduate teaching in the laboratories. Undergraduate students interested in postgraduate programs are invited to discuss research activities and graduate studies in the Department with any staff member at any stage of their undergraduate programs. Further information may also be obtained from the Coordinator of Graduate Studies, Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, Room 212, Wallberg Building, and from the Calendar of the School of Graduate Studies.