The department's small class-sizes, engaging teaching practices, and hands-on learning in our state-of-the-art facilities empower our students to solve real-world problems.
The Department of Chemical Engineering is a vibrant center of collaborative research addressing some of the most pressing challenges in energy and materials. Our faculty members are engaged in a diverse array of research in areas such as machine learning and process systems engineering, CO2 capture and conversion, polymer engineering, renewable energy, synthetic biology, environmental remediation, and materials science that push the boundaries of innovation.
Find out more by exploring the programs, research and news stories on this site.
News
Student-led research team pioneers a new method for programming motion in soft robots
A student lead research team designs an easy method to generate programmed shape-change and movement in soft robots.
The team worked with hydrogels—soft, tissue‑like materials that are biocompatible. These materials are promising for developing microrobots to perform non-invasive biomedical tasks within biological media, like gastrointestinal or reproductive tracts. Their approach could pave the way to create motion in soft robots and other smart devices, opening the door to a new generation of soft medical devices.
This research was driven by student curiosity. PhD student Negin Bouzari was inspired by a review paper.
Her supervisor Hamed Shahsavan, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, hired four undergraduate co-op students from across faculties to assist with her research.
A research team on point with Waterloo’s commitment to bringing undergrads into the heart of cutting-edge research and fueling interdisciplinary collaboration.
From co-op to cutting-edge research
Cole Fredericks is a master’s student in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Fredericks also did his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering (BASc '25) at the University of Waterloo.
Fredericks was the recipient of the Canada Student Merit Award by the Society of Chemical Industry, which is bestowed upon students who have attained the highest standing in their fourth year of a chemical engineering undergraduate degree.
For Fredericks, earning this distinction was the culmination of a mindset shaped by a lifelong love of learning and harmony in life both inside and outside the classroom.
“I have always been very curious and tried my best in everything that I did academically. My philosophy is that learning itself is a skill that must be practised, a muscle that must be exercised to better master what really interests you,” says Fredericks.
Water-based nanotech formulation enables cleaner, more efficient pesticide delivery
A research group led by Professor Michael Tam has developed a new water-based pesticide delivery formulation that dramatically improves how pesticides stick to plant leaves even in wind and rain.
Early field trials conducted with an industrial partner in Singapore demonstrated the potential of the technology. Cabbage plots were seeded with insect pests and the water-based formulation outperformed conventional pesticide systems, delivering better pest control using less active ingredients.
Current pesticide delivery systems rely on chemicals and solvents to help pesticide droplets stay on plant leaves and spread, which can be harmful to the environment.
Standard practice is crops are protected by pesticides via liquid sprays using nozzles, mist sprays or from airplanes as a result, pesticides do not always reach their intended target, bouncing off plant leaves, drifting into the air or washing into soil and waterways leading to economic loss for farmers and environmental contamination.