Postgraduate Courses
CENG
Chemical and Biological Engineering
- CENG 5100Advanced Reaction Engineering[3-0-0:3]BackgroundCENG 3230DescriptionReaction mechanisms and kinetics. Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. Ideal reactors. Multiphase reactors. Interplay of reaction, mixing, heat and mass transfer. Design of reaction systems involving organics, inorganics, and polymeric materials. Experimental techniques in reaction engineering. Use of mathematical software to problem solving.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Develop a good understanding of the fundamental concepts in reaction engineering.
- 2.Demonstrate ability to apply reaction engineering concepts in design and analysis of reactor systems.
- 3.Identify reaction concepts in nontraditional system such as living systems.
- CENG 5210Advanced Separation Processes[3-0-0:3]Exclusion(s)CBME 5210 (prior to 2023-24)BackgroundCENG 3210DescriptionSeparation of gaseous and liquid mixtures by adsorption. Affinity chromatography. Membrane separation technology: reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration. Electrophoresis and other product recovery methods.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Identify and predict properties of adsorbents and membrane for given separation processes.
- 2.Design an adsorption/membrane process for the separation of a mixture.
- 3.Apply fundamental principles of chemistry and chemical engineering in selection, design and preparation of adsorbents and membrane.
- CENG 5220Numerical Methods for Chemical Engineers[3-0-0:3]Previous Course Code(s)CENG 6000KBackgroundElementary background knowledge on linear algebra is preferredDescriptionThis course discusses the application of various numerical methods to solve typical problems found in the chemical engineering discipline. Topics include systems of linear and non-linear algebraic equations, ordinary and partial differential equations, and numerical optimization. The aim is to equip students with a practical set of skills to solve mathematical problems that they may encounter in their research or chemical engineering profession.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Develop, analyze and optimize two types of algorithm (Gaussian elimination, iterative) to solve linear equations.
- 2.Develop, analyze, and optimize an algorithm based on Newton’s method to solve nonlinear equations.
- 3.Analyze model equations using bifurcation analysis.
- 4.Define and calculate pairs of eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and conduct a singular value decomposition numerically.
- 5.Solve ordinary differential equations using single-step or multiple step and implicit or explicit methods.
- 6.Assess the numerical stability of various numerical methods for ODEs and stiffness of numerical problems.
- 7.Develop and implement a numerical method based on finite differences to solve typical BVPs in chemical engineering.
- 8.Develop and implement a basic numerical code for gradient-based optimization.
- CENG 5230Advanced Control and Data Science[3-0-0:3]Previous Course Code(s)CENG 6000MDescriptionThe course will cover digital and advanced control methods such as adaptive, model predictive, and learning controls and methods of process monitoring and optimization in the context of big data environment.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Master adaptive control.
- 2.Master MPC.
- 3.Master ratio control, deadtime compensation, inferential control, cascade control.
- 4.Master filtering.
- 5.Master statistical process monitoring.
- 6.Master machine learning.
- CENG 5240Deep Learning for Chemical and Biological Engineering[3-0-0:3]Previous Course Code(s)CENG 6000NBackgroundBasic programming skills (in any language) with experience, and mathematical knowledge, especially on linear algebra and statisticsDescriptionThis course provides an introduction to the application of deep learning methods in chemical and biological engineering. The course will cover the fundamental concepts and techniques in deep learning, such as deep neural networks, backpropagation, convolutional and recurrent neural networks, and transformer models. The course will focus on applying these methods to solve problems in chemical and biological engineering, including molecule and reaction property prediction, drug discovery, process monitoring and control, etc.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Understand the problem formulations in data science.
- 2.Understand the mathematical principle of deep learning methods.
- 3.Develop advanced model architectures.
- 4.Perform model training, validation and testing.
- 5.Clearly interpret model predictions and present model results.
- 6.Apply deep learning methods in chemical and biological engineering problems.
- CENG 5300Advanced Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics[3-0-0:3]Previous Course Code(s)CENG 6000ABackgroundCENG 2210, or any undergraduate-level physical chemistry or engineering thermodynamics courseDescriptionThe fundamental laws of thermodynamics, properties of pure substances and mixtures, phase and chemical equilibria, intermolecular forces. Brief introduction to statistical thermodynamics, colloid and interfacial phenomena, and molecular self-assembly.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Understand the origin of viscoelasticity in Polymers.
- 2.Understand the Polymer chain configurations and conformations.
- 3.Understand the linear viscoelastic models for polymeric materials.
- 4.Understand the Nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive equations.
- 5.Relate molecular structure and constitutive behavior of polymer chains.
- CENG 5520Polymer and Materials Characterization Techniques[3-0-0:3]Previous Course Code(s)CENG 6000HExclusion(s)CENG 4000J, CBME 5520, FYTG 5412 (prior to 2018-19)DescriptionThe course will first review some basic concepts in polymer physics and polymer chemistry. The course focuses more in polymer and materials characterization and related fabrication toward applications of advanced and functional polymers. The characterization techniques include thermal analysis of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic thermal mechanical analysis (DTMA), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEC), optical microscopy, infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction, surface analysis, and mechanical properties and testing. MCPR's instrument demo will also be arranged.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Explain basic concepts in polymer chemistry.
- 2.Explain basic concepts in polymer physics.
- 3.Carry out thermal analysis of polymers.
- 4.Carry out Spectroscopic analysis.
- 5.Carry out surface analysis.
- CENG 5550Polymer Physics and Advanced Applications[3-0-0:3]Previous Course Code(s)CENG 6000BDescriptionThe course will provide students with a general understanding of the relationship of polymer structure and properties that may help them in selection and design of polymers for their research. Applications in engineering materials, membrane separations, and bioengineering will be discussed.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Know structures and understand general properties of common polymers.
- 2.Understand the entropy driven characteristics of polymer systems both in bulk state and in polymer alloys.
- 3.Understand typical characteristics of polymer morphology, amorphous and semi crystalline state.
- 4.Understand polymer chain entanglements and thermal transitions.
- 5.Know advanced applications of polymers in different areas.
- CENG 5610Protein Engineering[3-0-0:3]Previous Course Code(s)CENG 6000GExclusion(s)CBME 5920DescriptionThis course introduces fundamentals of protein science as well as rational design and evolutionary approaches for engineering protein molecules. Protein fundamentals provide the basic knowledge of protein structure and function. Rational design-based protein engineering use several case studies to illustrate the role of modern computational tools in design of functional protein molecules such as catalysts, biosensors, biomaterials, etc. Protein directed evolution topics cover mechanisms of biomolecular evolution, fitness landscapes, examples of successful protein evolution, and metabolic engineering enabled by directed evolution.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Explain the basic technical concepts, scientific and engineering principles in protein engineering.
- 2.Describe the impacts of protein engineering on health and energy related real-world problems.
- 3.Analyze the influence of protein engineering on other emerging fields such as synthetic biology and genome engineering.
- 4.Identify the key components contributing to protein engineering.
- 5.Recognize research topics in protein engineering.
- 6.Communicate technical ideas more effectively.
- CENG 5840Nanomaterials for Chemical Engineering Applications[2-1-0:3]Co-list withNANO 5350Prerequisite(s)CENG 1500, CENG 3210, CENG 3230Exclusion(s)CBME 5840, CENG 4540, NANO 5350DescriptionNanomaterials and nanotechnology have become a rapid growth area in the 21st century. This course provides an introduction to students who enter into this exciting area of research. The course will focus on major routes for the synthesis of nanostructured materials. Selected applications of nanomaterials in chemical engineering applications, such as separation and catalysis, will be studied.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Obtain knowledge about methods for preparation of nanomaterials, ranging from single nanoparticles to three-dimensional nanostructures.
- 2.Demonstrate understanding for important thermodynamic and kinetic theories related to such processing.
- 3.Understand fundamental chemistry and physics of nanomaterial.
- 4.Development of analytical skill for methods of characterizing the structure and properties of nanomaterials.
- 5.Demonstrate the knowledge of current and emerging applications for nanomaterials.
- CENG 5930Electrochemical Energy Technologies[3-0-0:3]Previous Course Code(s)CENG 6000ECo-list withENEG 5500Exclusion(s)CBME 5830, ENEG 5500DescriptionElectrochemical energy conversion and storage technologies such as fuel cells, batteries, supercapacitors, solar cells, electrolyzers, CO2 reduction, etc. help overcome the energy and environmental problems that have become prevalent in our society. This course will focus on the principles and critical materials for each technology. Cutting-edge research areas as well as electrochemistry fundamentals will be discussed in this course.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Distinguish the working principles of each electrochemical energy technology.
- 2.Assess the advantages and limitations of each technology.
- 3.Analyze the current research trend of each technology.
- 4.Design the critical materials including anode, cathode, electrolytes, etc. for each technology.
- 5.Apply basic electrochemistry principles in energy conversion and storage.
- CENG 6000Special Topics[1-3 credit(s)]DescriptionSelected topics in chemical and biological engineering of current interest in emerging areas and not covered by existing courses. May be repeated for credit if different topics are covered. May be graded by letter or P/F for different offerings.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Demonstrate a capability to integrate knowledge and to analyse, evaluate and manage the different aspects of a special topic in chemical and biological engineering.
- CENG 6800Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Seminar[0-1-0:0]DescriptionSeminar topics presented by students, faculty and guest speakers. Students are expected to attend regularly and demonstrate proficiency in presentation in accordance with the program requirements. Graded P or F.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.Identify current research of interest in various topics of chemical and biomolecular engineering.
- 2.Obtain insights to how peer researchers design and conduct experiments.
- 3.Gain opportunities to make academic and social contacts with the speakers and with research community.
- 4.Demonstrate proficiency in presentation of research outcome coherently and thoroughly (as presenters).
- CENG 6900Independent Study[1-3 credit(s)]Exclusion(s)CENG 6800DescriptionSelected topics in chemical engineering studied under the supervision of a faculty member. Graded P or F.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.To demonstrate a capability to integrate knowledge and to analyse, evaluate and manage the different aspects of a special topic in chemical and biological engineering.
- CENG 6990MPhil Thesis ResearchDescriptionMaster's thesis research supervised by a faculty member. A successful defense of the thesis leads to the grade Pass. No course credit is assigned.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.To demonstrate a capability to research and development work.
- 2.To demonstrate the capability to create, analyse and critically evaluate different technical solutions.
- 3.To demonstrate the capability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge.
- 4.To demonstrate the capability to clearly present and discuss the conclusions as well as the knowledge and arguments that form the basis for these findings in written and spoken English.
- 5.To demonstrate a consciousness of the ethical aspects of research and development work.
- CENG 7990Doctoral Thesis ResearchDescriptionOriginal and independent doctoral thesis research. A successful defense of the thesis leads to the grade Pass. No course credit is assigned.Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- 1.To demonstrate a capability to research and development work.
- 2.To demonstrate the capability to create, analyse and critically evaluate different technical solutions.
- 3.To demonstrate the capability to critically and systematically integrate knowledge.
- 4.To demonstrate the capability to clearly present and discuss the conclusions as well as the knowledge and arguments that form the basis for these findings in written and spoken English.
- 5.To demonstrate a consciousness of the ethical aspects of research and development work.
