Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

What Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering does

The Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) is an academic department within the Georgia Institute of Technology, a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1901 as part of Georgia Tech's original engineering curriculum, the school has operated continuously for roughly 125 years and currently maintains a faculty of approximately 55. It serves undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in one of the nation's top-ranked chemical engineering programs, holding a #2 rank at the undergraduate level and a #5 rank at the graduate level in recent U.S. assessments. The school also serves industry and government partners through sponsored research, workforce training, and technology transfer.

The department's research portfolio is organized around four primary thrust areas: energy and sustainability, biotechnology, materials and nanotechnology, and complex systems. Faculty conduct fundamental and applied work spanning catalysis, separations, process control, biomolecular engineering, polymer science, and computational methods, producing peer-reviewed publications, invention disclosures, and patents with commercialization potential. Notable technology outputs include proprietary platforms in polymer-based water purification, biomanufacturing, and lab automation. The school maintains strategic proximity partnerships with neighboring institutions in Atlanta's research corridor, including Emory University and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As a non-commercial academic unit, the school's operating model is funded through three primary streams: state appropriations via Georgia Tech, sponsored research grants from federal agencies (NSF, NIH, DOE, DOD) and industry, and tuition from degree-seeking and certificate students. The school monetizes research through licensing, sponsored chairs, and corporate partnership programs rather than direct product sales. It also runs non-degree professional education, including an online certificate program, serving working engineers seeking credentials without full degree enrollment.

Name

Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Legal name

Georgia Institute of Technology

Website

https://chbe.gatech.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Georgia Tech's School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is a top-5 ranked academic department conducting research in energy, biotechnology, materials, and complex systems while educating undergraduate and graduate students and licensing proprietary technologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in Nanotechnology (541713), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electronic & High-Purity Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAD), Biosensors & Lab-on-Chip (BioMEMS) (HDAHALAK), Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology (EDABALAU)

Keywords

• Chemical engineering education
• Biomolecular engineering research
• Graduate degree programs
• Academic research programs
• Engineering faculty research

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is an academic department that delivers BS, MS, and PhD degree programs, professional certificate programs (including an online Graduate Certificate in Data Science for the Chemical Industry), and conducts fundamental and applied research across four strategic areas: energy and sustainability, biotechnology, materials and nanotechnology, and complex systems. The school develops proprietary technologies (microneedle patches, gene locks, vaccine scaffolds, lab-on-a-chip systems) that are licensed to industry for clinical and commercial development.

Product overview

Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is an academic department that offers educational programs rather than commercial products. Its portfolio includes undergraduate and graduate degree programs (BS, MS, PhD), professional certificate programs including an online Graduate Certificate in Data Science for the Chemical Industry, a Pulp and Paper Certificate, and a Communications Program. The school also offers a combined Five-Year BS/MS Program. These are educational offerings that prepare students for careers in chemical and biomolecular engineering, biotechnology, energy and sustainability, materials and nanotechnology, and complex systems research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BS Degree in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Accredited undergraduate bachelor's degree program in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Ranked No. 2 in the nation (first among public universities) by U.S. News & World Report for undergraduate chemical engineering. Designed for prospective and current undergraduate students preparing for careers in chemical engineering, biotechnology, energy and sustainability, materials and nanotechnology, and complex systems.
• MS and PhD Graduate Programs in Chemical Engineering Graduate degree programs in chemical engineering involving advanced coursework and independent research leading to MS and PhD degrees. Ranked 5th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for the fifth consecutive year (No. 2 among public universities). Includes PhD curriculum with minors option and professional preparation programs.
• Five-Year BS/MS Combined Program Combined accelerated bachelor's and master's degree program that allows high-performing undergraduate students to earn both BS and MS degrees in five years of study.
• Online Graduate Certificate in Data Science for the Chemical Industry Fully online asynchronous graduate certificate program that equips working professionals with domain knowledge in chemical engineering combined with data science skills to lead data-driven efforts in their companies. Designed for remote learners and industry professionals globally.
• Pulp and Paper Certificate Program Specialized undergraduate certificate program focused on pulp and paper engineering for students seeking domain-specific credentials in the pulp and paper industry.
• Communications Program (Undergraduate Certificate) Undergraduate certificate program focusing on technical communications skills for chemical and biomolecular engineering students.

Quantifiable outcome

• No. 2 undergraduate program ranking (U.S. News & World Report), first among public universities
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Emory UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing research collaboration between Dr. Prausnitz's Laboratory for Drug Delivery and Emory University, encompassing joint development of microneedle patches for vaccine delivery, hollow microneedles for insulin administration, and suprachoroidal eye injections for treating ocular diseases including macular degeneration and glaucoma. The collaboration spans device design, pharmaceutical formulation, preclinical animal studies, and human clinical trials.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Prausnitz's group collaborates with the CDC on advancing microneedle vaccine technology, including translating microneedle delivery from device design and fabrication through clinical studies. The CDC partnership supports the broader goal of making vaccination more effective, particularly in developing countries.
• Stanford UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlex Abramson conducted postdoctoral work at Stanford University as an NIH NIBIB Ruth L. Kirschstein F32 Fellow with Profs. Zhenan Bao and the late Sanjiv S. Gambhir, representing an academic collaboration that seeded his current research program in ingestible and bioelectronic therapeutics.
• Rice UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorey Wilson received his PhD from Rice University before joining Georgia Tech. His research group focuses on translating fundamental principles of biophysics and biochemistry into useful processes, devices, therapies, and diagnostics.
• Large Pharmaceutical Companies (unnamed)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLarge pharmaceutical companies have exclusively licensed a portfolio of Dr. Alex Abramson's patents to bring into clinical trials. Dr. Abramson serves as a scientific advisor overseeing their commercialization. This represents significant industry validation of the school's applied research capabilities.
• External Advisory Board (ChBE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school maintains an External Advisory Board composed of industry and academic leaders who provide strategic guidance, industry perspective, and connections to corporate partners and funding opportunities.
• Corporate Partners Program (ChBE)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe school maintains a formal Corporate Partners program connecting industry with research collaboration opportunities, student recruitment for internships and full-time hiring, and access to faculty expertise and research outcomes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Princeton Chemical and Biological Engineering: Princeton CBE integrates chemical engineering with biological engineering research similar to Georgia Tech's ChBE. Comparable top-10 ranking tier, faculty quality, and biomedical research scope.
• MIT Department of Chemical Engineering: MIT ChemE is the top-ranked U.S. chemical engineering program with deep biotechnology and biomolecular engineering research, large industry licensing pipelines, and similar faculty-driven innovation model. Direct comparison across the same disciplinary area (chemical & biomolecular engineering) and ranking dimension.
• UC Berkeley Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering: Berkeley CBE shares the "Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering" naming and research scope, including biotechnology, materials, energy, and computational research. Direct peer in name, scope, and disciplinary research area.
• Carnegie Mellon Chemical Engineering: CMU ChemE combines chemical engineering with strong computational, materials, and biotechnology research with a similar faculty-driven, small-cohort model. Directly comparable elite private-university peer.
• University of Minnesota Chemical Engineering & Materials Science: Minnesota CEMS combines chemical engineering with materials science and biotechnology research at a large public research university, similar to Georgia Tech ChBE's integrated focus. Comparable research breadth and disciplinary scope.
• Purdue Chemical Engineering: Purdue's Davidson School of Chemical Engineering is a top-ranked program with comparable research breadth and a similar large-public-university model. Direct peer in scale, ranking tier, and industry partnership model.
• Caltech Chemical Engineering: Caltech's Chemical Engineering division conducts small-scale, high-impact research in chemical biology, materials, and energy systems with a similar star-faculty-driven model. Comparable elite research-intensive chemical engineering program.
• University of Texas at Austin Chemical Engineering: UT Austin's McKetta Department is a top-10 ranked chemical engineering program with strengths in biotechnology, polymers, and energy — directly comparable to Georgia Tech in ranking, scale, and research breadth. PhD graduates from Georgia Tech (e.g., Blazeck) were trained at UT Austin, signaling faculty pipeline ties.
• Stanford Chemical Engineering: Stanford ChemE runs similar biotechnology, drug delivery, microfluidics, and biomolecular research programs with strong industry ties in the Bay Area. Directly comparable research portfolio (drug delivery, polymers, biomedical engineering) and ranking tier.
• University of Michigan Chemical Engineering: Michigan ChE runs a similarly broad research portfolio in biotechnology, materials, energy, and complex systems with a large faculty and top-10 rankings. Direct public-university peer in scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/georgia-tech-school-of-chemical-and-biomolecular-engineering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering