University of Michigan Chemical Engineering

What University of Michigan Chemical Engineering does

The University of Michigan Chemical Engineering is an academic department within the University of Michigan's College of Engineering, founded in 1898 and located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It offers undergraduate, master's, and PhD programs in chemical engineering, ranked #6 and #9 nationally by U.S. News & World Report (2026), and serves domestic and international students through cohort-based recruitment, faculty-led research project matching, and stipend-supported summer research programs (SURE, SROP). The department operates three strategic research thrusts: Human Health (lab-on-a-chip devices, drug delivery, biosensors), Net Zero (solar thermal, fuel cells, batteries, renewable energy), and Matter By Design (atomically precise manufacturing, programmable nanomaterials). Research is anchored by the $30M NSF-funded Science & Technology Center on Complex Particle Systems (COMPASS) and supported by world-class facilities including the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility (11,000 sq. ft. cleanroom), U-M Battery Lab, Biointerfaces Institute, and the $100M Data Science Initiative's Advanced Research Computing resources.

The department's economic model is institutional rather than commercial: it relies on university block funding, federal grants (NSF, DOE, DOD, ONR, NIH), industry-sponsored research, tuition, and donations. Revenue sources include sponsored research partnerships, corporate scholarships and fellowships, design project sponsorship, and recruiting event engagement, managed through a dedicated Director of Strategic Initiatives and Corporate Relations. Major industry partners include BASF, POET, Eli Lilly, and NVIDIA, alongside clinical collaborators at Michigan Medicine. The department is led by Department Chair Delia Milliron (effective August 2025) with three newly formalized Associate Chair positions spanning graduate education, research, and undergraduate education. AI/ML capabilities are applied as research tools for catalysis discovery, nanomaterial screening, and molecular simulation, with the NVIDIA Academic Grant signaling growing investment in AI-driven chemistry research.

Name

University of Michigan Chemical Engineering

Legal name

The Regents of the University of Michigan

Website

https://che.engin.umich.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The University of Michigan Chemical Engineering is a top-10-ranked academic department offering undergraduate and graduate programs in chemical engineering, conducting research in human health, net-zero energy, and matter by design, and serving students, industry partners, and federal agencies through education and sponsored research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Chemical Engineering

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in Nanotechnology (541713), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with National Laboratories/Big Science Facilities (EDAHAAAJ), Science & STEM Lab Equipment & Supplies (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Makerspaces) (EDAEAIAC)

Keywords

• Chemical engineering education
• Undergraduate engineering program
• Graduate research programs
• Nanofabrication facility services
• Industry sponsored research

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Graduate Education Programs: Graduate certificate programs in Data Science, Technology Policy, Computational Neuroscience, Engineering Education Research, Computational Discovery and Engineering, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Precision Health, Science/Technology/Public Policy, and Sustainability. Graduate degrees include PhD, Master's, and SUGS (Special Graduate- Undergraduate Programs).
2. Industry Research Partnerships: Sponsored research, research grants, lab support, project development, faculty consultants, student design project sponsorship, and research symposium sponsorship from industry partners.
3. Undergraduate Education: Undergraduate degree program in Chemical Engineering with co-operative education options, minors, concentrations, dual and combined degrees.
4. Student Scholarships and Fellowships: Corporate-sponsored scholarships and fellowships for ChE students, providing visibility and talent pipeline for companies.
5. NSF Science & Technology Center Funding: $30M NSF-funded Science & Technology Center on Complex Particle Systems (COMPASS) for transformative material design research.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The department delivers undergraduate, Master's, and PhD education in Chemical Engineering alongside three strategic research thrusts—Human Health, Net Zero, and Matter by Design—and operates shared research facilities (cleanrooms, nanofabrication, battery labs, biointerfaces) that support both internal researchers and external collaborators. Educational and research outputs are paired with industry-sponsored research, faculty consulting, student scholarships/fellowships, and summer research programs (SURE, SROP).

Product overview

University of Michigan Chemical Engineering is an academic department offering undergraduate, graduate, and PhD educational programs in chemical engineering, ranked #6 (undergraduate) and #9 (graduate) by U.S. News & World Report. The department operates three strategic research initiatives: Human Health (lab-on-a-chip, drug delivery, medical imaging), Net Zero (sustainable energy, carbon emissions reduction), and Matter By Design (transformative materials, NSF COMPASS center). The department provides access to world-class research facilities including the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility, U-M Battery Lab, and Biointerfaces Institute. Educational programs are complemented by undergraduate research opportunities (SURE, SROP) and industry partnership programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Program in Chemical Engineering Undergraduate degree program in Chemical Engineering ranked #6 by U.S. News & World Report (2026), providing foundational education in chemical engineering principles, with options for co-operative education, dual/combined degrees, minors, and concentrations.
• Graduate Program in Chemical Engineering Graduate and PhD programs ranked #9 by U.S. News & World Report (2026), offering advanced research in Human Health, Net Zero, and Matter by Design, plus graduate certificates in Data Science, Computational Discovery and Engineering, and related areas.
• Lurie Nanofabrication Facility (LNF) 11,000 sq. ft. Class 10/100/1000 cleanroom and 2,500 sq. ft. quasi-class 10,000 laboratory with BioSafety Level 2 space, offering optical and e-beam lithography, dry/wet etching, and thin-film deposition services to internal and external researchers.
• U-M Battery Lab Industry and university researcher collaboration facility for developing energy-storage devices, featuring pre-assembly, assembly, and characterization equipment including a -40C dew point dry room, 18650 cell winder, and high-throughput powder x-ray diffractor.
• Biointerfaces Institute Institute advancing scientific discovery through co-location and collaborative research, housing laboratories for wet chemistry, biologic engineering, cell/tissue culture, drug delivery, microfluidics, nanotechnology, single cell genomics, and visualization.
• Center for Complex Particle Systems (COMPASS) NSF-funded $30M Science & Technology Center developing a systems-level approach to particle-based matter for energy-efficient manufacturing, serving as a collaborative home for theoretical, experimental, and computational researchers.
• SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering) Summer research internship program for U-M undergraduates offering a $6,000 stipend for full-time research with chemical engineering faculty advisors.
• SROP (Summer Research Opportunity Program) Summer research program for non-U-M undergraduates offering a $4,500 stipend plus room, board, and travel allowance to conduct research with Michigan Engineering faculty.
• Human Health Research Initiative Strategic research focus on improving patients' lives through scientific and technological breakthroughs in prevention, diagnostics, and therapeutics, including lab-on-a-chip devices, drug delivery, medical imaging, and biomolecule synthesis.
• Net Zero Research Initiative Strategic research focus on powering the modern world without polluting it through molecular-level approaches to designing distributed, sustainable systems for energy and environmental solutions, including solar thermal, thermophotovoltaics, fuel cells, and batteries.
• Matter By Design Research Initiative Revolutionary approach to transformative material design, from atomically precise manufacturing to predictive, bio-mimicking, programmable nanomaterials, supported by the NSF COMPASS Science & Technology Center.
• Michigan Center for Materials Characterization (MC)2 University-wide facility for microstructural and microchemical characterization of materials, supporting more than 450 users from various colleges and 20 non-academic companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #9 Chemical Engineering Graduate Program by U.S. News & World Report (2026)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NVIDIAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 July 2026U-M Chemical Engineering researchers received NVIDIA Academic Grant to advance AI-driven catalysis discovery, utilizing computational approaches for sustainable chemistry.
• BASFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBASF hosts plant tours for students, providing industry exposure and practical learning opportunities in chemical manufacturing processes.
• POETminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPOET gives industry talks to undergraduate students, sharing expertise in bioenergy and biofuel production.
• Eli LillyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEli Lilly sponsors the Undergraduate Research Symposium and engages with students for recruiting and research discussions.
• Ann Arbor DistilleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts student visits for ChE 497 (Distillations) course, connecting classroom learning with industry applications.
• Fluidigm CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationEstablished Single Cell Genomics Lab through strategic partnership with Fluidigm Corporation, which donated key instruments including Biomark HD Systems and C1 platforms. One of only four centers worldwide with this capability.
• Michigan MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative human health research with Michigan Medicine collaborators and Biointerfaces Institute, engineering new technologies from benchtop to bedside.
• Biointerfaces InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2012, advancing scientific discovery through co-location and collaborative research across bioengineering and medical fields.
• Center for Complex Particle Systems (COMPASS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner$30M NSF-funded Science & Technology Center, collaborative home for theoretical, experimental, and computational researchers developing systems-level approach to particle-based matter for word-leading energy-efficient manufacturing.
• Michigan Institute for Data Science (MIDAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFocal point for researchers across U-M engaged in data science, supporting AI-driven research initiatives.
• Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery & Engineering (MICDE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFocuses on development and innovative use of mathematical algorithms and models on high performance computers to support R&D across science and engineering disciplines.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MIT Department of Chemical Engineering: Top-ranked peer Chemical Engineering department at MIT, with comparable research breadth across materials, energy, and bioengineering. Operates under similar public-private research funding model and competes directly for faculty, students, and federal grants.
• Stanford Chemical Engineering: Stanford's ChemE department is a direct peer with overlapping research domains in bioengineering, sustainability, and molecular engineering. Strong industry partnership model and Silicon Valley adjacency make it a particularly close competitor for talent and sponsored research.
• UC Berkeley Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering: Top public-university ChemE peer with strong programs in energy, sustainability, and biomolecular engineering. Competes directly with U-M for NSF/DOE funding and top graduate students, and shares the public research university positioning.
• Caltech Chemical Engineering: Caltech's ChemE division is a top-ranked peer with world-class faculty in catalysis, materials, and energy. Comparable in scale and reputation, with similar strengths in fundamental research and small-cohort graduate programs.
• Georgia Tech Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering: Large public-university ChemE peer with strong research in materials, energy, and bioengineering. Direct competitor for federal funding and industry talent pipelines, particularly in batteries and sustainable energy.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison Chemical & Biological Engineering: Public Big Ten peer with comparable research footprint in separations, catalysis, and biomanufacturing. Direct competitor for top graduate students and industry-sponsored research partnerships.
• Princeton Chemical & Biological Engineering: Elite private peer with strong research in energy, sustainability, and biomolecular engineering. Competes with U-M for top international graduate students and federal grants.
• UT Austin McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering: Top public-university ChemE peer with deep ties to the energy industry and strong funding from DOE and industry partners. Comparable in size and sponsored research intensity.
• Purdue Chemical Engineering: Major public-university ChemE peer with parallel strengths in materials, energy, and pharmaceuticals. Competes for NSF CAREER awards and industry-sponsored research.
• Northwestern Chemical & Biological Engineering: Top private peer with strong research in biotechnology, materials, and sustainability. Comparable in research intensity and competes for the same NIH, NSF, and DOE funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/umichche
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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about University of Michigan Chemical Engineering