The MIT Chemical Engineering department provides advanced instruction in the foundational core subjects of thermodynamics, transport, reactor design and systems engineering. This base of knowledge is applied to a range of research topics relevant for industry, including the energy and biotech sectors.
LGO students completing the SM in Chemical Engineering take:
- The required courses in the LGO summer core
- For the Chemical Engineering required courses, students choose two from the following:
- Two graduate-level engineering courses following the student’s interest and faculty advisor approval, likely within the department.
- LGO Internship incorporating Chemical Engineering and management content, resulting in a dual-degree thesis overseen by the student’s faculty advisor.
Chemical Engineering (Course 10) is organized into seven research areas that students can pursue:
- Biomedical and Biotechnology
- Catalysis and Reaction Engineering
- Energy
- Environment and Sustainability
- Materials
- Math and Computational Systems
- Transport and Thermodynamics
A full list of Course 10 classes can be found on the MIT Course Catalogue.
Popular research areas among LGOs:
Biomedical and Biotechnology
Using the tenets of biology and the applied tools of engineering, researchers develop an understanding of living systems, opening new opportunities and solutions in these complex systems.
Key Areas of Research: Cancer immunology systems and control theory; Materials and pharmaceuticals manufacturing; Systems nanotechnology; Applied mathematics; Biochemical engineering; Macromolecular design and synthesis; Nanoscale assembly of synthetic biomaterials; Electrostatic and directed materials assembly
Sample of Classes: 10.53 Advances in Biomanufacturing; 10.547 Principles & Practice: Drug Development; 10.591 Case Studies in Bioengineering
Many LGO ChemE students do an internship in a biotech company. MIT Chemical Engineering professors are interested to work with LGOs on internships to directly apply their research in an industrial setting. Recent Chemical Engineering internships were:
Andrew Mikkelson (LGO ’22)
Title: Biomanufacturing Automation Plug & Play
Partner Company: Amgen Inc.
Lois Nersesian (LGO ’22)
Title: Process-Driven Text Analytics to Inform Deviation Root Cause Analysis in Biomanufacturing
Partner Company: Amgen Inc.
The Chemical Engineering department looks for:
- A previous degree in chemical engineering or a similar major, with a strong academic record.
- Alignment with the six criteria listed on the ChemE website that focus on areas including understanding of the chemical engineering fundamentals, excellence in research, and drive and persistence.
Applicants should have an interest in leading chemical engineering projects, preferably as applied to the biotech industry. Previous work experience in Chemical Engineering is nice but not mandatory. More importantly, LGO students in ChemE should have a strong academic background in chemical engineering.
Graduates from LGO who finish with a dual degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA are excellently prepared to lead the next generation of pharmaceutical products. LGO graduates often leave the program in strategic management positions at global biotech firms. However, the program does not limit alumni only to this industry. Chemical Engineering LGOs have careers in energy and consulting, and some go into supply chain management at companies like Amazon and Caterpillar.
