What is Chemical Engineering?

Careers in chemical engineering

The specific responsibilities of chemical engineers, though they may vary among industries and even within the same company, can be categorized in general terms for most industries. Some typical job descriptions are listed below.

• Process design engineer – Designs manufacturing facilities and the equipment and material used inside.
• Environmental engineer – Develops techniques to reduce and recover usable materials from waste created during product manufacture.
• Plant process engineer – Provides technical support and troubleshoots processes in a production facility.
• Process safety engineer – Designs and maintains plants and processes that are safer for workers and communities.
• Project engineer – Oversees the design and construction of specific processes in a facility.
• Research & development engineer – Seeks out new and efficient ways of producing existing products. Explores and develops new processes and products.
• Attorney – Specializes in intellectual property, patent law, environmental compliance and safety issues.
• Biomedical engineer – Works to develop artificial organs and to develop new treatments for human diseases.
• Technical manager – Manages people, research programs and daily operations of the engineering functions.
• Professor – Instructs students in the field of chemical engineering and conducts research in pertinent areas.
• Quality control engineer – Monitors the manufacture of a product to ensure that it meets specifications. Also, tests materials to determine how they perform over time.
• Technical services engineer – Works with customers, usually on-site, to solve production problems caused by a specific process or machine.