Our Department ranks as number one in Canada for Chemical Engineering according to the U.S. News and World Best Global Universities.
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.
Check out this short presentation by one of our second year undergraduate students, talking about the undergraduate Chemical Engineering Program at UWaterloo!
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
Catalysts for the Future: Showcasing Innovation at the Chemical Engineering Capstone Symposium
The 2025 Capstone projects were ambitious and innovative! Aiming to solve problems, running the gamut from converting plastic waste into hydrogen to creating a modular water treatment plant for Six Nations of the Grand River.
This graduating class pushed themselves to their limits, persevering through their first two years, which took place during the pandemic, and finishing their undergraduate degrees with innovation and tenacity.
The excitement was palpable at the Capstone Symposium as fourth-year students explained their projects to instructors, industrial partners, parents and eventgoers.
This year, there were six winning Capstone Projects in the Department of Chemical Engineering:
Programmable droplets create next-generation materials
A research group led by Chemical Engineering Professor Milad Kamkar has developed a method to make it possible to have stable liquid droplets filled with different nanomaterials in another liquid.
This breakthrough research has created completely new categories of “programmable" droplet-based soft materials containing a range of nanomaterials. These droplets can be dried and turned into aerogel beads (highly porous materials) that can be deployed in many applications, such as carbon capture and wastewater treatment.
In complex environments, like wastewater streams with multiple contaminants, the aerogel beads can be layered or mixed to target specific pollutants.
“Each bead can absorb a specific type of pollution,” says Kamkar. “Making the material not just multifunctional, but strategically programmable.”
David A. Liñán Romero wins the Chemical Engineering Medal for Proficiency in Research-Park and Veva Reilly Medal
David Liñán Romero has won the Chemical Engineering Medal for Proficiency in Research Park and Veva Reilly Medal. The award recognizes skill in solving a research problem and efficiency in finding solutions. The award consists of a silver medal and a cash award.
"Winning this award makes me feel gratitude towards those who have encouraged and supported my research and academic development—not only my advisor and colleagues, but also my family and friends,”says Liñán Romero. "My PhD research was in numerical optimization, so I feel this award also recognizes the relevance of computational tools in aiding chemical engineering to shape a more efficient and sustainable future.”
Liñán Romero was a PhD student in the Department of Chemical Engineering supervised by Professor Luis Ricardez-Sandoval. He completed his doctoral studies in September 2024.
Liñán Romero’s main takeaways from studying with Ricardez-Sandoval were the importance of critical thinking and reasoning, as well as effective oral and written communication.