Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

Chemical engineering has grown out of a combination of chemistry and engineering associated with industrial processes. Today, it comprises knowledge used in processes that change the physical state or composition of materials. Chemical engineers hold key roles in the design, development, production, and purification of materials considered essential to human life and well-being, such as food products, fuels and lubricants, pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, synthetic fibers, microelectronic components, and plastics. Chemical engineers are involved in reducing the use of energy to make products in a safe and sustainable way and minimizing environmental impacts. Areas of study in the Chemical Engineering Department include (but are not limited to):

Catalysis (hetero and homogeneous), Reaction Kinetics, Fuel Cells & Energy Storage, Biofuels, Interfacial Phenomena, Biomedical, Drug Delivery, Electrocatalysis, and Photoelectrocatalysis. 

Petroleum engineering is concerned with the drilling, recovery, production, and distribution of petroleum and natural gas. Petroleum engineers use knowledge of fluid and rock properties in subsurface environments to produce oil and gas safely and economically. At the University of Kansas, the focus is on reservoir engineering and improving production from oil and gas reservoirs. Reservoir engineers use geological detection with computerized mathematical analysis to produce raw materials. New areas of research are focused on unconventional reservoirs and Net Carbon Zero geoenergy using AI and data mining for intelligent and sustainable petroleum engineering. Areas of study in the Petroleum Engineering Department include (but are not limited to):

Data Mining and Artificial Intelligence Supported Reservoir Engineering, Hydraulic fracturing and acidizing of unconventional reservoirs, Characterization and simulation of tight oil and gas reservoirs, Oilfield nanoparticles, CO2 enhanced oil recovery and CO2 storage, and Phase behavior of reservoir fluids.