2022 Research Symposium

It’s been said that a chemical engineer is someone who talks chemistry to mechanical engineers and mechanical engineering to chemists, but there is much more to the story than that. Chemical engineers take ideas/concepts (such as a new compound or a new reaction) to fruition (large scale industrial processes). Chemical engineering is at the forefront of the push for transitioning to the sustainable energy systems of the future, and plays important roles in renewable energy production, energy storage (batteries and fuel cells), negative emissions technologies (such as carbon capture) and environmental management.

While chemical engineering may seem complex, almost everything about it can be understood through the process of making coffee, because the elements of roasting and brewing coffee are small scale versions of chemical process systems. I will try to demystify chemical engineering through the example of coffee, and also make a case for the importance of chemical engineering in a sustainable future.

Vinay Prasad is the Chair of the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta, and holds the Jaffer Professorship in Process Systems and Control Engineering. He has a PhD in chemical engineering with a specialization in process control and optimization, and has significant industrial and academic experience in chemical engineering. He conducts research on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to process and manufacturing systems.

This online speaker series is presented in partnership with Future Energy Systems. They focus on multidisciplinary research that develops the energy technologies of today and the near future, integrates them into today’s infrastructure, and examines possible consequences for our society, economy, and environment. Energy Talks provides an opportunity for you to engage with researchers and learn more about their work.