The department of chemical engineering aspires to the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge in our discipline, and to shape that discipline as we do so. Our discipline is the art-turned-science of converting molecular understanding into products and processes that benefit mankind, using a healthy dose of chemistry, mathematics, physics, biology and material science whenever that is called for. Our profession, then, is eclectic by design and united by a synthetic objective. We aim for the highest quality standards in teaching and research. We have a rich heritage of over 125 years, in which we have seen our profession take shape and continuously evolve. 

Our mission is to perform research in this field at the highest level and to train new members of our professional community. We succeed if we identify the societal needs for new products and processes. We succeed if we successfully apply our science to meet those needs. We succeed if we identify new possibilities that new science presents and turn those into products and processes that improve living standards here and elsewhere. Crucial is that we teach ourselves to think as scientists and engineers at the same time, to use our tools and apply those with wisdom and integrity in our professional life. We value an academic environment that cultivates critical thinking. We value an open mind, because scientists can do phenomenal things if their creative potential is unleashed.