Welcome to Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo

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 more than 1,200 students, faculty and staff, and has thousands of alumni worldwide.

In addition to offering undergraduate and graduate programs in chemical engineering, the Department provides academic expertise and support to Waterloo's multidisciplinary nanotechnology and biomedical engineering programs.

The department's interdisciplinary 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.

Capstone Design Projects

Participation in Capstone Design Projects synthesizes theory learned in class, lab work, and real-world experience from co-op programs. Students are able to create design projects in areas that interest them. Capstone Design projects often lead to the creation of a marketable product and entrepreneurial opportunities for the graduating students.

Chemical Engineering MASc student takes first place in the 2023 GRADflix Showcase

Competition at the 2023 GRADFlix Showcase was stiff with 25 finalists vying for a big win. Chemical Engineering MASc student Andrew Stella won first place and the People’s Choice award yesterday in the 2022 GRADflix competition. Congratulations Andrew! Check out his winning video below.

Find out more by exploring the programs, research and news stories on this site.

  1. Mar. 31, 2023Capstone event showcases the breadth of student skill and expertise
    Nicholas Somer, Abin Varghese, Amrita Kaur, Shannon McNeil and Dr. Glenn Harvel

     Nicholas Somer from Ontario Tech University, Team 16 members Abin Varghese, Amrita Kaur, Shannon McNeil and Dr. Glenn Harvel also from Ontario Tech University

  2. Mar. 8, 2023Celebrating International Women’s Day 2023
    Female grad students, faculty and staff

  3. Mar. 3, 2023Chemical Engineering invests in bioengineering for health tech and sustainability
    Yeast, bacteria, cells and algae

Read all news
  1. Apr. 5, 2023PhD Comprehensive| Reinforcement Learning with Recurrent Neural Networks and Autoencoders Applied to Chemical Production Scheduling Under Uncertainty

    Daniel Rangel-Martinez will be doing his PhD Comprehensive on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. This is a closed online session. His thesis proposal title is : Reinforcement Learning with Recurrent Neural Networks and Autoencoders Applied to Chemical Production Scheduling Under Uncertainy.

    Supervisor: Luis Ricardez-Sandoval, Chemical Engineering

  2. Apr. 5, 2023Seminar | Process Integration and Intensification - Developing New Industrial Applications from Traditional Chemical Engineering Processes, by Dr. Jesse Zhu

  3. Apr. 6, 2023Industrial Speaker Seminar Series | Coding as a Chemical Engineer: For Fun and Profit by Caleb Bell

    The Chemical Engineering Department is hosting a special industrial speaker seminar about Coding as a Chemical Engineer: For Fun and Profit.

All upcoming events

Meet our people

Luis Ricardez-Sandoval

Luis Ricardez-Sandoval

University Research Chair in Multiscale Modelling and Process Systems. Tier II, Associate Professor