As the frontiers of chemical engineering shift, UT chemical engineers are helping lead the way in exciting new areas of engineering including polymers, separations, process control, microelectronics, surface science and bioengineering. Its distinguished faculty, diversified funding, highly-qualified students, and modern facilities are the hallmarks of a premier teaching and research graduate program. Between 1988 and 1992, the department ranked among the nation's top three chemical engineering departments in both research funding and Ph.D.s graduated. Faculty are deeply committed to providing students the structure, guidance and resources to negotiate rigorous academic and professional trials. Five National Academy of Engineering members and five National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigators among faculty testify to its excellence, as do numerous national honors and awards from professional organizations such as AIChE, ASEE, ACS, the American Automatic Control Council, the Electrochemical Society, and the Society of Plastics Engineers.
Graduate students come from all over the United States and abroad.
In the last decade, increasing numbers of women have enrolled as graduate students. Upon graduating, UT chemical engineers distinguish themselves in teaching, research and industry-UT chemical engineering ranks near the top nationally in total number of graduates listed in Who's Who in Engineering and 45 UT chemical engineering graduates with Ph.D.s hold teaching positions at universities across the country. In 1986, the department moved into a world- class engineering facility with over 90,000 sq. More than 50 modern laboratories support general research. The facility also houses a polymer processing laboratory and a distillation test unit.