PhD in Chemical Engineering - Complex Fluids and Polymers in Ithaca United States | Cornell University

The Smith School's doctoral program in chemical engineering equips students for academic and research careers. Typically spanning four to five years with full financial support, this program enables candidates to make meaningful advancements in the discipline while joining an exceptional scholarly community.
Our chemical engineering department boasts renowned faculty, cutting-edge facilities with ongoing upgrades, and an unparalleled collaborative environment. Throughout your doctoral journey, you'll join a vibrant academic network upholding Cornell University's foundational values while working toward your thesis. The program emphasizes developing fundamental and applied scientific expertise while fostering innovation and creativity. Candidates may undertake research or specialized projects in areas like design, economics, or mathematical analysis, with no foreign language requirement for chemical engineering majors.

Investigating complex fluids and polymers—their structure, flow properties, surface interactions, and transport mechanisms—represents one of chemical engineering's most significant scientific challenges. Our Complex Fluids and Polymers research teams explore diverse areas including polymer flow behavior, soft materials, surface science, and polymer development. These investigations yield important contributions to: Energy solutions: fuel cell technologies, conductive lubricants, advanced battery materials, nanoparticle fluids for carbon sequestration, and biomass conversion nanomaterials. Biological transport systems: brain tumor therapies, biomimetic separation technologies, and medical purification methods. Soft materials science: colloidal systems, gel formation, and polymer development. Microscale fluid dynamics: miniature power sources, separation technologies, micro-mixing systems, and digital fluid manipulation. Surface interactions: liquid bridging phenomena and capillary action studies.