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
Patent for Magnetic Microwires in Medical Treatments
Distinguished University and Cabot Professor Laura Lewis, ChE/MIE, and ChE Associate Professor Abigail Koppes were awarded a patent for “Magnetic microwires for energy-transporting biomedical applications.”
GLP-1 Weight Loss Drug Prices Are Unlikely To Decrease in the Near Future
Bouvé/ChE University Distinguished Professor Mansoor Amiji says people seeking weight loss drugs may be able to get help from patient financial assistance programs and alternative medications. Mounjaro weight loss drug’s active ingredient—semaglutide—is no longer in short supply, so less expensive GLP-1 compounded versions are no longer available.
PhD Spotlight: Justin Hayes, PhD’25, Chemical Engineering
Justin Hayes, PhD’25, chemical engineering, focuses on understanding how gut microbial metabolism impacts human health. He is an inventor on the pending patent and founder and CEO of Concordance Therapeutics Inc. He was awarded the Northeastern University chapter of the National Academy of Inventors Student Innovation Impact Award.
The Marvelous Powers of Mucus
ChE Distinguished Professor Rebecca Carrier was featured in The Week’s article “The Marvelous Powers of Mucus” for explaining how mucus lines various bodily surfaces and adapts its properties for different […]