Chemical engineering is addressing pressing challenges to advance society such as biomedicine, energy, security, and sustainability. Join an R1 research institution and work alongside accomplished faculty in the heart of Boston - a hub for biotech, medical institutions, high tech, and academia.
Innovative Education and Research
Offering rigorous yet flexible academics and top-ranked experience-powered learning to develop the next-generation of chemical engineering leaders.
Academic Offerings
Chemical engineering encompasses a broad range of cutting-edge research allowing them to work at the intersection of a variety of different fields, including biology, chemistry, energy, physics, materials science, and other engineering disciplines.
Hub of Innovation
From being in the heart of the city of Boston with industry and the world's top hospitals, to a range of active student organizations and a network of faculty, alumni, and industry professionals, the Department of Chemical Engineering offers a welcoming and exciting community.
Engaged Student GroupsSpotlight Stories
Engineering in Action
Chemical Engineering Research Co-op in Switzerland
Chemical Engineering student Hannah Boyce shares her unique experience conducting research abroad at ETH Zurich, one of Europe’s leading biotech institutions.
PhD Research for Impact
With a dream of curing breast cancer, Chinedu Okorafor, PhD in chemical engineering, took full advantage of her Northeastern University curriculum and surrounding biotech centers in Boston. Northeastern’s interdisciplinary approach—sparking collaborations among the sciences—helped her chart her own course toward a degree with many possible rewarding applications.
Reaching Career Goals
For Haroon Bukhari, MS in chemical engineering, the Northeastern experience culminated in a co-op at Rogers Corporation, an innovator in engineered materials. Focusing on applications including electric vehicles, he’s already building a career toward making green technologies safer, more efficient, and more cost-effective.
World-Renowned Cooperative Education
Bradley Priem, BS in chemical engineering, had two co-ops that gave him the ability to delve into a particular industry. At Synlogic he was a bioanalytical chemist and bacterial engineer creating e-coli strains, and at bluebird bio he was an upstream process development engineer for gene production. He now knows he wants to go into the biotech industry and is interested in graduate school too.
Recent News
ChE Student Earns Third Place for Neurodiversity in STEM Education Research
Chemical engineering student Kate Bevec, E’26, won third place in the Education and Other category at the AIChE National Student Conference for her poster on “Diverse Learning Tools for Neurodiverse Learners: The Effectiveness of Comics and Videos and Engagement Patterns in STEM Education.”
ChE Students Take Top Prize for Visual Learning Breakthrough
Chemical engineering students Sydnie Bayles, E’27, and Marissa Darcangelo, E’26, were awarded the first-place trophy in the Education and Other category at the AIChE National Student Conference for their poster on “Drawn to Chemical Engineering – Comics As a Visual Learning Tool for First-Year Chemical Engineering Students.”
Northeastern Nominates 6 COE Students for Prestigious Knight-Hennessy Scholarship
Druhi Bhargava, E’24, computer engineering; Amanda Ferrante, E’26, bioengineering and biochemistry; Kevin Giordano, E’26, mechanical engineering and physics; Victoria Robbins, E’22, chemical engineering; Nishita Roy, E’26, bioengineering, and Zhenming Yang, E’26, electrical and computer engineering were were six of nine nominated by Northeastern for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship, which develops a community of future global leaders to address complex challenges through collaboration and innovation.
Advancing Innovation and Impact: Highlights from the Northeastern NAI Chapter Fall 2025 Event
MIE Professor Randall Erb and ChE Associate Professor Steve Lustig both participated in the annual meeting of Northeastern University’s National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Chapter to bring together innovators, researchers, and entrepreneurs.