Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Studying at Iowa State is exciting and rewarding. Our experienced and diverse faculty (a total of 20) will support and challenge you.  Graduate Brochure

Faculty

Faculty members in the department are nationally and internationally acknowledged leaders in teaching, research, and mentoring.

The diverse faculty (~35% of the faculty is composed of women and under-represented minorities) includes award-winning teachers and researchers, authors, prominent inventors, leaders of professional societies, journal editors, and sought-after consultants.

Among the important research areas where the department faculty are leaders are bioengineering, catalysis, crystallization, and nanomaterials. Some of our most talented faculty are also some of the leading women in chemical engineering.

Since all of the faculty participate in lectures and in teaching undergraduate courses, there is a healthy infusion of research concepts into the curriculum, which enables you to directly learn from people performing some of today’s most exciting research. Additionally, many faculty members provide opportunities for undergraduate students to perform research in their laboratories.

Facilities

The department offers outstanding facilities and resources that help students succeed in their academic endeavors. These include excellent laboratories, advanced computing environments, and modern classrooms.

The department is housed in Sweeney Hall, which contains 44,000+ square feet of modern laboratory and office space, including an $8 million addition completed in 1994 that incorporates a series of advanced teaching laboratories. The state-of-the-art research facilities include laboratories for

• Atomic force microscopy
• Biochemical and protein separations
• Catalyst characterization
• Cell and tissue culture
• Chemical vapor deposition and reactive sputtering
• Drug delivery
• Particle imaging velocimetry
• Particle size analysis and light scattering
• Polymer characterization
• Spectroscopic techniques

In the upgraded computing facilities for undergraduates, students use PCs on which they carry out simulations, write research and laboratory reports, and communicate via email.