PhD in Chemical Engineering - Transport Phenomena in Davis United States | University of California Davis

The Ph.D. program equips students to tackle intricate, long-term research challenges. Typically completed in four to five years, this program centers around a major research initiative that results in a dissertation. Most graduates pursue industry roles, often in research and product development, while some enter academia as postdoctoral researchers or assistant professors. Our Chemical Engineering curriculum offers a solid foundation in core principles while examining key applications across diverse process systems. Students develop expertise in chemical engineering theory and its connections to related fields like biochemical, biomolecular, and biomedical engineering, as well as nanotechnology, materials processing, and environmental applications. The program cultivates both qualitative and quantitative competencies essential for professional research and teaching in chemical engineering.

Contemporary challenges in transport phenomena involve complex, multi-scale systems where material or energy movement interacts with various components. Our faculty address these challenges across industries including agriculture, biomedicine, chemicals, and energy. With increasing focus on micro-scale systems, this work often combines traditional transport concepts with the behavior of particles, colloids, biological cells, or macromolecules. Our transport researchers collaborate with graduate programs in applied mathematics, biophysics, and biomedical engineering, frequently employing cross-disciplinary methods in their investigations.