Department Chair's Message

Welcome to the Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering at Yale University. We are a vibrant community of scholars where chemical engineering guided by sustainability, and environmental engineering with a molecular focus, come together at one of the world’s leading academic institutions. Our 16 full time faculty members lead research efforts in nanomaterials, soft matter / complex fluids, interfacial phenomena, biomolecular engineering, energy, water, and sustainability. Our graduate and undergraduate students come from all corners of the globe to pursue PhD and BS degrees in Chemical or Environmental Engineering.

Yale has a long and illustrious history in Chemical Engineering. Formal instruction began in 1922, and the early years were strongly influenced by Professor Barnett Dodge, who served as Department Chair for thirty years (1931-1961). Professor Harding Bliss was the first Editor of the AIChE Journal in 1955, the same year Professor Dodge served as AIChE President. More recently, Professor John Fenn won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work done while in Yale’s Department of Chemical Engineering.

Environmental Engineering at Yale began in 1998 as an interdisciplinary program focusing on areas of major importance to the earth's future. Building upon institutional strengths in the environmental, biological, and engineering sciences – and guided by the University’s global perspective – Environmental Engineering at Yale quickly gained national stature as a beacon for outstanding undergraduate and graduate students.

In 2010, to more accurately reflect the scope of research activities and degree offerings, the Department officially changed its name to Chemical & Environmental Engineering.

Today, study within the Department emphasizes fundamental engineering principles, innovation, global perspective, and leadership. Full advantage is taken of collaborative opportunities with Yale’s excellent programs in Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Environmental Sciences, Medicine, and Management. Graduates in Chemical and Environmental Engineering – at both doctoral and bachelors levels – are creative, adaptive, and well-rounded scientific and technical leaders who ultimately find employment in industry, academia, and government.

I invite you to explore our website and become better acquainted with our department, our degree programs, our research activities, and our faculty.

Jordan Peccia
Chair
Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering