Chemical & Biological Engineering

Menu

Our DNA is Becoming the World’s Tiniest Hard Drive

Researchers are proposing a faster method for recording data to DNA, showing promise in fields of digital data storage and neuron recording.Read more

How Graduate Naomi Lisse is Helping Moderna Produce Vaccines

Lisse (’15) is still benefiting from her time at Northwestern while working for the pharmaceutical giant.Read more

Team Among First to Visualize Polymers in Actual Material

To show the first clear images of single-polymer molecules in a solid material, the researchers used super-resolution optical microscopy, which can highlight individual molecules and provide contrast against a dark background.Read more

Using Yeast to Create Alternative Petrochemical Processes

Integrating cellular engineering with cell-free biosynthesis could lead to more efficient and cleaner ways to power the earth.Read more

About the Department

Pioneering transformational discoveries to tackle global challenges

Our internationally recognized Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Northwestern University prepares the next generation of engineers by fostering their growth in a collaborative, multidisciplinary community built on excellence in research and education.

We impact and shape the world through inventions and innovations in soft materials, complex systems, synthetic biology, biotechnology, and catalysis and use them to tackle global challenges in renewable energy, biomanufacturing, clean water, sustainability, and human health.

Learn more:

Facts and Figures

Setting ourselves apart

10

NSF CAREER awards

12

interdisciplinary research centers, institutes, and programs

13

startup companies

View more facts

Research Areas

From transformational discoveries to impactful solutions

Our department combines the fundamentals of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics with technology development to drive discoveries in our core research areas.

Programs

Fostering growth in a collaborative, multidisciplinary community built on excellence in research and education

Undergraduate

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

Combined BS/MS Degree Program

Minor in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering

Explore special programs in this department and across McCormick

Graduate

Master of Science in Chemical Engineering

PhD in Chemical Engineering

Learn more about interdisciplinary programs and research groups for graduate students

Affiliated

Master of Science in Biotechnology

Department News

All News

Events

See All Events

Discover Our Whole-Brain Engineering Philosophy

We augment the analytical core of engineering with design, entrepreneurship, leadership, personal development, and unusual collaborations to imagine what's next and take the world in a whole new direction.

Learn More