The products from Chemical Engineering operations are seen all around us including, for example, petrol, pharmaceuticals, food, drinking water, paints, cosmetics and clothing. The principles underpinning the manufacture of these products include mass and energy balances, thermodynamics, fluid flow and heat transfer, chemical reactor theory, mixing and separation processes, process control, plant safety and process economics. The main supporting subjects are mathematics and the physical sciences, backed up by computing, together with some chemistry. Principles and theories are essential for understanding real processes but students also need to develop professional competence. We develop our students’ capabilities from the outset through experimental work, design and research projects and computer simulations. Engineers working in industry participate in some of our design exercises and help keep them realistic. We have well equipped pilot-plant and bench scale laboratory experiments for practical work and projects. Oral and written presentations given by students help give them confidence in communicating ideas.

Most of our graduates are employed by process companies in the oil, gas, water, food and drink, pharmaceutical, plastics and general chemical industries. Many of these companies favour Loughborough as a source of chemical engineers. In recent years about 70% of those in permanent employment were using their chemical engineering directly and the majority of the rest were employed in financial work. Companies with whom our students have found employment include 3M, AstraZeneca, BP, Croda, Exxon Mobil, Foster Wheeler, Huntsman, INEOS, Invista, Merck, Nestlé, Shell, Tate and Lyle, and United Biscuits.