As part of Canada's largest engineering school and most innovative university, the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo is home to approximately 1,000 students, faculty and staff, and has thousands of alumni worldwide.
Our Department consistently ranks among the top two universities in Canada and the number one university in Ontario in Chemical Engineering according to the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities.
In addition to offering undergraduate and graduate programs in chemical engineering, the Department provides academic expertise and support to Waterloo's collaborative nanotechnology and biomedical engineering programs.
The department's collaborative research culture, engaging teaching practices and state-of-the-art facilities create a vibrant learning environment where students are empowered to solve the problems our world faces.
Do you know about our IP policy?
Students own what they invent at the University of Waterloo. This makes University of Waterloo an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Here support is available to commercialize innovations and nurture new start-ups. Learn more.
Interested in pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering?
- Our curriculum is highly relevant to industry, with flexibility so you can specialize in areas of interest.
- Smallest class sizes of all the engineering programs, you will experience individualized support from your instructors and a tight-knit community.
- A large faculty complement including nine Research Chairs, with a wide variety of expertise ranging from biotechnology, nanotechnology, polymers and materials science, to environmental and energy topics like global climate change and fuel cells. See our research areas for an overview.
- Access to Chemical Engineering experts for career suggestions, research experience or guidance during senior-level design projects.
- Paid co-op work experience in a wide variety of Chemical Engineering-related jobs.
Interested in pursuing a Master of Engineering, Master of Applied Science or PhD in Chemical Engineering
Thinking about using your chemical engineering knowledge to advance your career, satisfy your intellectual curiosity and build upon your passions? Investigate the opportunities available to you in the Department of Chemical Engineerin
Did you know that you get paid to do a research-based degree?
Did you know that domestic graduate students pay less for tuition than undergraduate students?
Did you know that if you did not get accepted into the University of Waterloo's undergraduate engineering programs, you have a good chance of being accepted into our graduate program?
A graduate degree in Chemical Engineering will allow you to have a career in a multitude of employment sectors. From developing next-generation batteries and fuel cells, to biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, to mitigating climate change through carbon capture.
Learn about Professor Valerie Ward's research in biomanufacturing using biological processes to manufacture products like antibiotics or proteins for pharmaceutical applications and more.
Are you wondering what Chemical Engineering is? Check out our new animation!
Chemical Engineering Lab Tour
Join us for a tour of the Chemical Engineering undergraduate labs in the Douglas Wright Engineering Building at the University of Waterloo.
Find out more by exploring the programs, research and news stories on this site.
News
Aiping Yu awarded NSERC’s Steacie Memorial Fellowship
The Department of Chemical Engineering’s Aiping Yu has been awarded a prestigious 2020 E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship.
Each year, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) recognizes six highly promising early-stage researchers in the natural sciences and engineering with an E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, in recognition of their efforts and to enhance their research capacity so that they can become leaders in their field and inspire others.
Remembering Ken O’Driscoll, department chair and inspirational professor
Professor Emeritus Ken O’Driscoll passed away on August 4, 2020, at the age of 89.
O’Driscoll was an internationally respected polymer science researcher, a talented teacher, and a kind and inspirational mentor who worked in the Department of Chemical Engineering between 1970 and 1992. His research in polymerization kinetics and polymer synthesis and characterization influenced many products we know and still use today, including hydrophilic contact lenses (also known as ‘soft contact lenses’), which he developed in 1971.
Department of Chemical Engineering cracks the world's top 100
The Department of Chemical Engineering placed 87th in worldwide university rankings for 2021, joining three other Waterloo Engineering subjects in the top 100.