Welcome to
the McKetta Department of
Chemical Engineering
#5
Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Program
$2.5M
Awarded in Scholarships
#8
Graduate Chemical Engineering Program
Spotlights
Explore more at the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering
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Versatile ‘Nanocrystal Gel’ Could Enable Advances in Energy, Defense and Telecommunications
New applications in energy, defense and telecommunications could receive a boost after a team at The University of Texas at Austin created a new type of “nanocrystal gel” — a gel composed of tiny nanocrystals each 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair that are linked together into an organized network.
Professor Joan Brennecke Honored Among Top Inventors
Joan Brennecke, professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, has been selected as a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, a prestigious distinction awarded to a select group of 164 academic innovators around the world for 2021.
New Way to Pull Lithium from Water Could Increase Supply, Efficiency
Anyone using a cellphone, laptop or electric vehicle depends on lithium. The element is in tremendous demand. And although the supply of lithium around the world is plentiful, getting access to it and extracting it remains a challenging and inefficient process.
An interdisciplinary team of engineers and scientists is developing a way to extract lithium from contaminated water. New research, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, could simplify the process of extracting lithium from aqueous brines, potentially create a much larger supply and reduce costs of the element for batteries to power electric vehicles, electronics and a wide range of other devices.
Like Father, Like Daughter: Texas ChE Alumni Share Unique Legacy
Some little girls grow up wanting to follow in their father’s footsteps. Houston-native and recent Cockrell School of Engineering graduate Corrinne Cassel (B.S. ChE 2020) took this dream seriously, following her father’s footsteps right to the Forty Acres to pursue a degree in chemical engineering just like her dad, Craig Cassel (B.S. ChE 1987), did over 30 years earlier. Corrinne and her father, Craig, now share a unique experience that few father-daughter duos can tout: they are both graduates of the Cockrell School’s McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering.
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Research Areas
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Advanced Materials, Polymers & Nanoengineering
Design and synthesis of inorganic and polymeric materials at the molecular level to achieve desirable properties for a wide range of applications
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Bioengineering
Applying chemical engineering principles for the development of biochemical processes and biomedical applications
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Energy
The development of photovoltaics, catalysts for fuels from sunlight, and electrical energy generation and storage systems engineering for energy efficiency
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Environmental Engineering
Programs to understand the fundamental science and engineering of air and water pollution, and to develop data for informed policy decisions. Process development for CO2 capture and sequestration
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Process Engineering
Design, modeling, optimization, and control of petrochemical, pharmaceutical, and microelectronic processes
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Theory & Simulation
The development and application of multiscale models and high performance computational simulations spanning atomic to continuum time and length scales
Events
Thursday, April 16External Advisory Council Meeting All Day |
Thursday, April 16ChE Seminar Series: Texas Distinguished Faculty Lecture Title TBD 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM |
Thursday, April 16External Advisory Council Meeting All Day |
News
New Safety Certificate Program Launches
Texas ChE initiated the creation of a safety certificate program and teamed up with ExxonMobil to involve other universities. This fall, the department also sponsored the first student to receive a certificate.
Engineering the Longhorn Band
Did you know our department’s founder, E.P. Schoch, also started the Longhorn Band? Here’s the story that links the band’s past to our present…
Cytomegalovirus Breakthrough Could Lead to New Treatments
New antibody design blocks cytomegalovirus from hiding from the immune system and could lead to safer, more effective treatments for vulnerable patients.
Published by Cockrell School of Engineering.
From Tin Shacks to State-of-the-Art Green Facility
With chemical engineering’s move into the state-of-the-art Autry C. Stevens Engineering Discovery Building (ACS) in late 2026, it’s hard to fathom research labs were once housed in tin shacks made of wood and tar paper...
