Welcome to the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

Professor Chris Hardacre
Head of School

The School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering has moved into the top 20 in the UK in terms of research power as a result of the recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). This is a very significant achievement for a School that is a combined school of chemistry and engineering. The Head of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Professor Chris Hardacre, said "Credit goes first and foremost to all the staff, both academic and support staff in the School, who have contributed to this success through their commitment and dedication.

The outcome is also a ringing endorsement of the financial support provided by the University and the McClay Trust which has allowed the recruitment of outstanding staff in recent years. Through these investments the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering has developed research at Queen's which is now recognized as "world-leading" in the areas of Catalysis and Materials. A wide range of research opportunities are available within the School in the Centre for Theory and Application of Catalysis (CenTACat), Innovative Molecular Materials (IMM), Synthetic and Bioorganic Chemistry (SynBioC) and the Queen's University Ionic Liquid Laboratories (QUILL) and Queen's University Environmental Science and Technology (QUESTOR) Research Centres.

As well as high quality research capability and a vibrant postgraduate research school, the combined school has a wide range undergraduate degree programmes including chemistry, chemical engineering, forensic analysis and medicinal chemistry. Many of the courses allow a year out in Europe or in Industry and the School’s policy of common entrance for many of the undergraduate programmes allows the opportunity to undertake a range of modules before needing to specialise on one pathway. Two postgraduate taught MSc courses are also offered in MSc/Diploma in Chemical Biology (formerly Chemical Enzymology) and Process Engineering. Each provides the chance to stretch your undergraduate knowledge in a new area and develop advanced practical and problem solving skills in an extended research project.