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Welcome to the Chemical Engineering Department of the University of Waterloo here in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.  The Department is one of the largest in Canada providing a broad range of educational and research opportunities.

We believe that a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo can provide you an excellent starting point to launch a variety of rewarding careers.  Chemical Engineers are at the forefront of technology and their role in modern society is becoming increasingly important.  Chemical Engineers design, implement and supervise industrial processes where matter undergoes change.  This could be in the pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, food or plastics industries for example; anywhere where a transformation of matter occurs.  Chemical Engineers also play a major role in the new, emerging field of nanotechnology with applications in the development of new materials, and devices.  They also develop new processes to prevent pollutants from being released into our environment or to remove them after they are already there.  They decrease our energy use by increasing the efficiency in our fossil fuel refining plants, or by experimenting with new forms of energy generation and storage.  Increasingly Chemical Engineers are becoming involved in the control, manipulation and production of biological systems as well, which have many important applications in the area of health care and food production for example. 

Our professors are leaders in their fields and this will ensure that you are exposed to the latest developments as well as obtaining a solid basis in the engineering fundamentals.  The undergraduate program is based on a co-operative education system which we feel offers the best mix of educational knowledge and practical experience.  The University of Waterloo is known world-wide for its pioneering efforts in co-op education and runs the largest co-op program in Canada.  The co-op workterms can even go a long way towards financing your university education.

I hope you will find this website of use in locating information about our programs, facilities and people.  Make sure to take a look at the UW Facts and Figures webpage at our Find Out More About UW website to finds lots of interesting information about our University.  Also, make sure that you take the UW Virtual Campus Tour.  If you have any more questions about the Department, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Once again welcome,

tom duever

Dr. Tom Duever
Chair of Chemical Engineering
University of Waterloo.