Research
Chemical engineering encompasses a broad range of cutting-edge research. The diverse education that chemical engineers receive allows them to work at the intersection of a variety of different fields, including biology, chemistry, energy, physics, materials science, and other engineering disciplines.
Chemical engineering research at Northeastern is supported by multiple areas: Biomolecular & Biomedical Systems, Complex & Computational Systems, Energy & Sustainability, Engineering Education & Pedagogy, and Materials & Nanotechnology.
The College of Engineering is also home to a National Science Foundation Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing, as well as numerous other research centers and institutes to push the boundaries of research.
With a premier location in downtown Boston, the department is perfectly located to take advantage of a wealth of collaborations with other universities, as well as local hospitals, medical centers, and industry.
Quick Facts 2024
Recent News
Patent for Combining Drugs and Immunotherapy for Cancer Treatment
Bouvé/ChE University Distinguished Professor Mansoor Amiji was awarded a patent for “Combination taxoid nanoemulsion with immunotherapy in cancer.”
Hashmi’s Research Featured on Cover of Physics of Fluids
The research paper co-authored by Barrett Smith, PhD’24, chemical engineering, and ChE Assistant Professor Sara Hashmi on “Diffusion-Driven Deposition Model Suggests Stiffer Gels Deposit More Efficiently in Microchannel Flows” was featured on the cover of Physics of Fluids.
Zhao Receives NSF CAREER Award To Advance Ammonia Production Research
ChE Assistant Professor Qing Zhao received a $618,100 NSF CAREER Award for “Computational Characterization of Reaction Mechanisms and Catalytic Microenvironments in Redox-Mediated Ammonia Electrosynthesis.”
Advancing Methane Conversion Catalyst Research
ChE Assistant Professor Qing Zhao received a $110,000 American Chemical Society (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award for “First-Principles Discovery of Single-Atom Alloys as Coke-Resistant Catalysts for Direct Methane Activation.” Using electronic structure theory, Zhao is designing catalysts at the atomic level to convert earth-abundant methane into value-added multi-carbon hydrocarbons.