Timetable and Course Descriptions

Sessional Dates

• 500-level course descriptions are here
• Engineering Graduate Courses
• MEng Emphasis courses can be found here
• Links to other Engineering timetables can be found here

For the Fall 2023 and Winter 2024 academic sessions, courses will be delivered using the following five methods:

• In Person (INPER) meeting sections require attendance at a specific time and location for some or all activities (subject to adjustments imposed by public health requirements).
• Online Synchronous (SYNC) meeting sections require online attendance at a specific time for some or all activities. Attendance at a specific location is not required for any activities or exams.
• Asynchronous (ASYNC) meeting sections do not require attendance at a specific time or location for any activities or exams.
• Online Synchronous (In Person Final) (SYNIF) meeting sections may require attendance at a specific time and location for the final exam or final assessment (subject to adjustments imposed by public health requirements). Online attendance at a specific time is required for some or all other activities.
• Asynchronous (In Person Final) (ASYIF) meeting sections may require attendance at a specific time and location for the final exam or final assessment (subject to adjustments imposed by public health requirements). Attendance at a specific time or location is not required for any other activities.

Fall 2022

Winter 2023

Summer 2023

Course Descriptions

CHE1053H – Electrochemistry
This course provides a working knowledge of modern electrochemistry. The topics dealt with include, the physical chemistry of electrolyte solutions, ion transport in solution, ionic conductivity,
electrode equilibrium, reference electrodes, electrode kinetics, heat effects in electrochemical cells, electrochemical energy conversion (fuel cells and batteries), and industrial electrochemical processes. Numerous problems are provided to clarify the concepts.

CHE1100H – Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering
This course is intended for graduate students who don’t have an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. A high level introduction to the underlying principles of chemical engineering for students who do not have a chemical engineering undergraduate education. Principles will be illustrated through both research examples and classical chemical engineering situations.
**Students with an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering or Chemical Engineering are excluded from this course**

CHE1102H Research Methods and Project Execution
This course provides core graduate training in critical research, argumentation, implementation, and communication skills. Through facilitated activity-based tutorials students will develop their research and project management skills, acquiring strategies to identify and articulate a research hypothesis, set research goals and plan their approach (including quantification of results and validation of quantitative metrics), and share research findings effectively via oral, written and graphical communication. Students will develop these skills while learning how to position themselves and their research for employment purposes.

CHE1107H – Applied Mathematics
Review of basic modelling leading to algebraic and ordinary differential equations. Models leading to partial differential equations. Vector analysis. Transport equations. Solution of equations by: Separation of variables, Laplace Transformation, Green’s Functions, Method of Characteristics, Similarity Trans­formation, others time permitting. Practical illustrations and exercises applied to fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, reactor engineering, environmental problems and biomedical systems. Lecture notes provided.

CHE1108H – Numerical Methods in Chemical Engineering
The purpose of this course is to introduce a first year graduate level numerical methods course with an emphasis on applications in chemical engineering. The course will consist of three main topic areas relevant to chemical engineering, namely: 1) numerical integration, 2) optimization and 3) solution of partial differential equations. The skills developed for numerical integration are fundamental to many more complex problems in numerical methods relevant to chemical engineering. In this course, we will first focus on the solution of initial value problems (IVP) of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) as this is a building block for advanced numerical integration. Many chemical engineering problems require the solution of ODE-IVPs, most prominently, chemical reaction kinetics and simple fluid flow problems. Next, we will introduce basic concepts in numerical optimization. Numerical optimization is another fundamental tool utilized by numerical methods analysts and there are many chemical engineering problems that require the use of numerical optimization. Some examples include the prediction of the geometry of a molecule, optimization of plant processes and optimal control. Finally, we will explore numerical methods for solving PDEs. PDEs are fundamental to chemical engineering processes and in all but some very simple cases, numerical methods are required to arrive at approximate solutions. Classical examples in chemical engineering include fluid mechanics and heat and mass transfer.

CHE1118H – Industrial Catalysis
The course covers adsorption, the nature of the catalyst surface, kinetics of catalytic reactions, catalyst selection and preparation, deactivation and poisoning, and specific catalytic reactions. The types of reactions and the examples considered will depend to some extent on the particular interests of those selecting the course but will include, in any case, nitrogen fixation, Cl chemistry, catalysis in petroleum refining (cracking, reforming, alkylation, hydrorefining, etc.), and catalysis by transition metal complexes.

CHE1123H – Liquid Biofuels
An introduction and overview of bioenergy production technologies, including: first generation biochemical technologies to produce biofuels (e.g, from sugarcane, starch, and oilseeds). The course will then describe second generation technologies to produce biofuels (e.g., from lignocellulosics) followed by advanced technologies as well as the so-called “drop-in fuels.” It will include the theory and process aspects of hydrogenation-derived renewable diesel. An overview of fuel properties will also be given. Finally the course will conclude with environmental impacts – benefits and issues, economic aspects as well as infrastructure requirements and trade-offs.

CHE1125H – Modelling and Optimization of Chemical/Biomedical Networks
Components of biological networks, their biochemical properties and function along with the technology used for obtaining component lists will be emphasized. Top-down and bottom-up approach to modeling and reconstruction of chemical reaction networks along with biochemical networks, such as metabolic networks, regulatory networks and signaling networks from data will be presented. Mathematical models of reconstructed reaction networks, and simulation of their emergent properties will be studied. The course will also cover classical kinetic theory, network simulation methods and constraints-based models of biochemical networks. Multi-scale modeling methods that integrate multiple cellular processes at different time and length scales will be emphasized. Existing biological models will be described and computations performed. Iterative methods for discovering novel biological function through comparison of model predictions and experimental data will be discussed in the context of Systems Biology and Bioengineering. PREREQ: Engineering Biology, Calculus, Differential Equations

CHE1126H – Radiation Chemistry and Radiochemistry
Radiation chemistry is the study of the chemical effects of electromagnetic radiation, radioactive particles, and fission fragments. Radiochemistry is concerned with the chemistry of molecules that incorporate  radioactive  atoms.  This  introductory  course  aims  at  explaining  the  physical  and chemical  mechanisms  of  radiation-related  phenomena encountered  in  science  and  engineering. The  following  topics  are  covered:  radiation  physics;  chemical  effects  of  ionizing  radiation  on matter  including  radiolytic  processes  in  gases  and aqueous  solutions;  radioactivity;  elements  of radiochemistry including the synthesis of radioisotopically labeled compounds, isotopic exchange reactions, applications; hot-atom chemistry, and the chemical effects of nuclear transformations.

CHE1450H – Bioprocess Engineering
In this course, students will learn theoretical and practical aspects of Bioprocess Engineering which uses biological, biochemical, and chemical engineering principles for the conversion of raw materials to bioproducts in the food, pharmaceutical, fuel, and chemical industries, among others. Emphasis will be placed on the understanding of biomanufacturing principles and processes during the upstream production and downstream purification of bioproducts. Microbial and mammalian cell processes will be discussed. Basic concepts of scale up and the types of bioreactors used in industry will be introduced. Challenges in biomanufacturing and process validation will be discussed as well. The course includes (5) labs in which students will apply some of the concepts learned in class.

CHE1134H – Advances in Bioengineering
This course, designed for graduate students whose research is at the interface of Engineering and Biology, will review recent advances in molecular and analytical methods relevant to bioprocess engineering, environmental microbiology and biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and other related topics. Following fundamental instruction on specific molecular and analytical methods, students will be required to prepare a critical review of chosen, peer reviewed articles that demonstrate the utility of discussed methods for the advancement of bioengineering concepts and applications. Discussion of the scientific, technological, environmental, economic, legal, and ethical impacts of the research will follow.

CHE1141H – Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering (co-taught with CHE412)
This second-level course in reactor design and analysis focuses upon the following topics: multiphase kinetics and catalysis; simultaneous diffusion and reaction, including an analysis using effectiveness factors and Thiele modulus; analysis of models of complex flow and mixing in reactors; reactor modelling; reactor performance and stability of operation for simple and complex kinetic schemes; design considerations for heterogeneous reactors; industrial and research applications of chemical reactors.

CHE1142H – Applied Chemical Thermodynamics
This course has the objective of reviewing the basic concepts of thermodynamics with specific applications to processes involving phase equilibrium or equilibrium in chemical reactions. The course is divided in three parts. In the first part we will review the laws of thermodynamics, and the thermodynamic properties and phase behavior of pure substances. In the second part we will review the thermodynamic properties in mixtures and multiphase equilibria in non-reactive systems. In the last part of the course we will review the energy balance and equilibrium in chemical reactions. The evaluation will consist of a midterm at the end of the review section, and a final exam that will evaluate the last two parts of the course. This course also involves a term project where the student uses some of these concepts in a specific example related to his/her thesis project.

CHE1143H – Transport Phenomena
Momentum, heat and mass transfer. General balances: continuity, species continuity, energy, and linear momentum equations. Rate expressions: Newton’s law of viscosity, Fourier’s law of conduction, and Fick’s law of diffusion. Applications to multi-dimensional problems, convective transport, transport in turbulent flow, interphase transport, boundary layer theory. Discussion of transport analogies.

CHE1147H – Data Mining in Engineering
Extracting useful knowledge from data requires interdisciplinary skills in scientific computing methods and algorithms. The broader term that captures all the skills is called data science or data mining. Data-driven organizations leverage their data effectively and generate business insights that enable better decision-making and problem solving. In this course, we will present both the theoretical background and practical application of data science including programming, machine learning algorithms and data engineering. Students will gain hands-on experience on major data science techniques and tools and how they are applied to real-world data sets. Some basic knowledge of programming and statistics is expected. Python is the programming language that will be used in class.

CHE1148H – Process Data Analytics
The driving force of the fourth industrial revolution is the processing and analysis of big data to extract knowledge, patterns and information. Chemical, biologics/pharma, oil/gas, financial and manufacturing organizations are in a unique position to benefit from this data revolution, as they collect and store massive amounts of heterogeneous data. Big data is characterized by the 5 V’s: volume, velocity, variety, veracity and value and distributed computing architectures are used to process the data. The first part of this course will be on Apache Spark, a big data processing and computing engine. In the second part, special topics in analytics such as visualization, data quality, interpretable/fair ML and MLOps will be discussed. Prerequisites: An introductory course in data science or machine learning (e.g. CHE1147 or other similar courses). Familiarity with Python.

CHE1150H – Industrial Water Technology
This is a basic course on technologies used for Produced Water in the resource sector. The course will cover theory and practice of membranes (UF, NF, RO), ion exchange, lime softening, demineralization, and filtration as applied in this sector. The lecture material delivered by professionals in the field will be supplemented by a hands-on project operating a triple membrane water treatment system.

CHE1151H – Engineering Systems Sustainability
This is a multidisciplinary course that provides the necessary components, concepts and frameworks of sustainability and its relation to engineering projects. It introduces the basic ideas of systems thinking that are used to understand and model complex problems, such as input, output, control, feedback, boundary and hierarchy. It then describes sustainability as a complex challenge of interacting technical, social, economic and environmental systems, and introduces systemic sustainability frameworks such as The Natural Step. It then focuses on the sustainability of organizations and the standards (e.g. ISO 26000 and GRI) that can help design effective sustainability improvement initiatives and strategies. A primary focus of the course is on life cycle assessment (LCA) and related standards (ISO14044, ISO14025) as a tool to understand the broad impacts of engineering projects, unit processes, products and services and the inevitable trade-offs in design decisions. Specific process case studies are examined related to chemical engineering and their relation to promoting a circular economy, including recycling of energy and material flows. Finally, the course presents the economic aspect of sustainability and how to create the business case to secure the support of decision makers in the implementation of sustainable processes in organizations.

CHE1213H – Corrosion
The following topics amongst others, are treated: the various types and forms of corrosion, electrochemical theories of corrosion, corrosion testing methods, corrosion behaviour of iron, steel, and other common engineering metals, corrosion of steel and aluminum in reinforced concrete, passivity, atmospheric corrosion, underground corrosion, seawater corrosion, effects of stress, corrosion in the chemical process industries, the use of Pourbaix diagrams and methods of corrosion protection and control (selection of materials, coatings, corrosion inhibitors, cathodic protection, anodic protection). A number of problems (with worked solutions) are provided to clarify the concepts.

CHE1310H – Chemical Properties of Polymers
This graduate course will cover modern methods of polymer synthesis and characterization, structure-property relationships, chemical modification of polymers, thermal behaviour and rheology, self-assembly, hydrogels, and related topics. Emphasis will be given to areas of current academic and industrial interest within polymer science, including analysis of recent scholarly literature and novel polymer-based commercial technologies.
Pre-requisite:  CHE562H1:  Applied Chemistry IV – Applied Polymer Chemistry, Science and Engineering (or equivalent).

CHE1333H – Biomaterials Engineering for Nanomedicine
Overview of principles of nanoengineering for biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. This course will study the formulation and manufacturing processes for producing nanomaterials for medical applications; pharmacokinetics, biocompatibility, immunogenicity of nanobiomaterials. The course will also introduce basic concepts in entrepreneurship and regulatory affairs associated bringing nano/bio-technologies from a lab environment to commercial products. In addition to course lectures, students will complete two laboratory exercises that will provide hands-on learning in emulsified formulations and characterizations involving nanostructures.

CHE1334H – Organ-on-a-Chip
This graduate course will focus on the latest developments in the field of Organ-on-a-Chip Engineering, with a specific focus on Organ-on-a-Chip Industry. Topics related to on-chip engineering of heart, kidney, cancer, vasculature and liver will be discussed.

CHE1335H – Applied Colloid Science
This course introduces the composition, methods of production and characterization, and uses of colloidal systems, including suspensions, emulsions, foams, aerosols and gels. The thermodynamic-based and kinetic-based theories of colloid formation and stability are introduced. The hydrodynamics of colloids and complex fluids is also discussed along with the connection between colloid composition, its rheological properties, its mass transfer properties and the connection between these properties and the performance of colloid-based products. The course will also introduce fundamental concepts towards characterization emulsion structures using light scattering, microscopy and spectroscopy. Finally, the chemistry and formulation principles of colloid-based products is also revised, in particularly the selection of solvents, surfactants, and polymers required.

CHE1430H – Hydrometallurgy, Theory & Practise
The course focus in on metals recovery from mineral recourses by hydrometallurgical technology. Ore formation, geology and mineralogy is reviewed. Mining techniques are also briefly reviewed and generic hydrometallurgy flowsheets are discussed. Mineral upgrading methods are discussed followed by leaching fundamentals (chemistry-thermodynamics-kinetrics), including bioleaching technology, and equipment. Solid-liquid separation and solution purification techniques such as by chemical precipitation, ion exchange and solvent extraction are also discussed. Examples from pure metal recovery and effluent treatment; residue disposal technologies for environmental compliance are presented. Finally, process development, plant design, plant control strategies, Economic, Social and Environmental Considerations, followed by several industrial examples is offered.

CHE1431H – Environmental Auditing
The goals of the course will be to: (a) understand fundamental concepts and principles of environmental auditing; (b) understand relevant federal and provincial environmental legislation; (c) understand environmental management system and similar standards; (d) improve audit skills and knowledge of principles; (e) understand the Environmental Management System (EMS) auditing and certification/registration process. The course will be structured to provide sufficient background in the concepts of environmental management, due diligence, environmental protection, and the process of auditing these topics for verification purposes. The course material will be presented in a combination of lecture and workshop formats.

CHE1432H – Technical Aspects of Environmental Regulations
Environmental regulations are based on the existence and/or likely occurrence of adverse effects. This course will examine the legal definitions of adverse effects and present possible scientific methods that can be used to establish the presence/absence of adverse effects. The specific regulations for Air, Waste, Contaminated Sites, and Water will then be examined to establish scientific methodologies that can be applied to show compliance with the letter and intent of the regulations. Particular emphases will be placed on the existence of variable scientific interpretations of the key general statements in the respective regulations.

CHE1433H – Air Dispersion Modelling
The goal of the course will be to provide the students with an understanding of the fundamental principles of air quality modelling, the use of screening and advanced air dispersion models, as well as the limitations of these tools in actual practice. The course will also address other relevant air quality related subjects such as ambient monitoring and dispersion model verification. The course will be structured to provide sufficient background in dispersion modelling theory to allow the users to make informed decisions on model inputs, modelling methodologies and approximations. The course will feature both theory sessions as well as hands on training in the use of dispersion models (US EPA SCREEN 3 and AERMOD models) and data processing.

CHE1434H- Six Sigma for Chemical Processes
Six Sigma is a proven process improvement methodology currently being employed across nearly every type of business and industry including numerous Chemical Process Industry companies. Design for Six Sigma (DfSS) has been developed more recently with the goal to apply the Six Sigma principles to the design of new products and processes. This course will also provide a working know-how of the Six Sigma problem solving and process improvement protocol (DMAIC). It is based on the lecturer’s own experience as a double Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma and Design for Lean Six Sigma at Xerox Research Centre of Canada. This course will include examples and case studies in order to show the students the practical value of Six Sigma in the chemical and related industries. The students will use themselves Six Sigma and Design for Six Sigma process and statistical tools to solve problems and explore designing new chemical process in workshops that will be part of each class.

CHE1435H – Aerosol Physics and Chemistry
This course is concerned with physical and chemical properties of aerosols and their impacts on earth’s climate, air quality and human health. This course will cover the fundamentals of aerosol physics and chemistry, and relate these principles to the overall impacts. The first section will cover single particle processes (particle drag, gravitational settling, diffusion) and evolution of an aerosol population (new particle formation, condensation and coagulation, deposition and cloud droplet formation). In the second section, the various components in atmospheric aerosol will be discussed in detail, including kinetics and thermodynamics of organic and inorganic compounds. Applications to industrial processes, such as drug delivery and chemical manufacturing, will also be explored. This course is critical to those students pursuing careers in atmospheric science and air pollution control, who will need to measure, model and control airborne particles.

CHE1436H- Risk Assessment for Chemical Process Safety
The course will address chemical hazards that impact process safety – specifically fires, explosions and toxic effects.  Students will learn how model consequences, model likelihood, analyze risk and evaluate risk.  Students will be exposed to the most popular/widely used methods in industry.   In addition, the course will also cover: Risk management – framework, description of risk concepts, risk reduction, managing residual risk; Process design and facility siting; Prevention and mitigation – safety systems -what they are, their design; A thorough description of risk evaluation – risk tolerance criteria – how they are established and used, risk informed decision-making, benefit cost analysis; Human factors – how human error affects process safety.

CHE1471H – Modelling in Biological and Chemical Systems
To review the methodology for the analytical modeling of physical systems with emphasis on chemical engineering applications. The course will cover the following topics: Analysis and Modelling of Physical Systems Review of ODEs’; Mass Balance and Continuity Equation
Species Balance, Stoichiometry and Reaction Kinetics; Force Balances and Mechanics of Materials; Fluid Mechanics and Navier-Stokes Equations; Flow Through Porous Media; Conservation of Mechanical Energy; First Law of Thermodynamics and Thermal Energy Balance
Heat Transfer, Fourier Law, and Equation of Energy; Mass Transfer, Fick’s Law, and Species Continuity Equation; Probabilistic Modelling.

CHE1475H – Biocomposite Materials
This course will teach students about structure, properties and application of natural and biological materials, biomaterials for biomedical applications, and fibre reinforced composites including composites based on renewable resources. The course has a strong focus in fundamental principles related to polymeric material linear elasticity, linear viscoelasticity, dynamic response, composite reinforcement mechanics, and time-temperature correspondence that are critical to understand the functional performance of these types of materials. Novel concepts about comparative biomechanics, biomimetic and bio-inspired material design, and ecological impact are discussed. Key processing methods and testing and characterization techniques of these materials are also covered.

CHE3001H – Seminars in Chemical Engineering
This course exposes graduate students to the latest developments in a wide range of topics in Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry. Students are provided with a breadth of understanding of the current trends in the many fields which fall under the umbrella of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, through seminars given by internationally renowned experts through the Department’s Lectures at the Leading Edge series. This course is mandatory for all M.A.Sc. and Ph.D. students and is to be taken annually.

JCB1349H – Molecular Assemblies
This course will focus on the mechanisms associated with the assembly of molecular and biomolecular systems, including colloids, small molecule organic crystals, and protein complexes. The goal of the course is to foster an understanding of the subtle interactions that influence the process of assembly, which has wide ranging implications in fields ranging from materials science to structural biology. Examples will be drawn from the current literature encompassing studies of self-assembly in solution, at surfaces, and into the solid state. Supplementary reading and a term project targeting some aspect of molecular assembly will be assigned.

JCC1313H – Environmental Microbiology
The objective of this course is to develop fundamental aspects of microbiology and biochemistry as they relate to energetics and kinetics of microbial growth, environmental pollution and water quality, bioconversions, biogeochemical cycles, bioenergy and other bioproducts.

JCR1000Y – An Interdisciplinary Approach to Addressing Global Challenges
[A full (Y) course covering two sessions – September to April]
In order to create sustainable solutions to the world’s most important challenges, global development professionals must reach beyond the traditional boundaries of their field of expertise combining scientific/technological, business, and social ideas in an approach known as integrated innovation.   In this project-based course, students from multiple disciplines (engineering, management, health and social sciences) will work together – using participatory methods with an international partner – to address a locally relevant challenge.  Students will be expected to communicate with and understand team members from other disciplines, integrate their knowledge and experience of global issues in order to: (a) identify and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of existing technical approaches to addressing the challenge, (b) analyze the characteristics of existing social frameworks (ethical, cultural, business, political) (c) identify gaps and needs (d) propose an appropriate integrated solution approach that incorporates an analysis of the challenge through these disparate lenses. The final deliverables for addressing the challenge at the end of the school year will include:  a prototype of the end product, a business plan, a policy analysis, and analysis of impact on global health.

JNC2503H- Environmental Pathways
The objective of this course is to convey an appreciation of the sources, behaviour, fate and effects of selected toxic compounds which may be present in the environment. Emphasis is on organic compounds, including hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons and pesticides. The approach will be to examine, for each compound, physical and chemical properties, sources, uses, mechanisms of release into the environment, major environmental pathways and fates (including atmospheric dispersion and deposition), movement in aquatic systems (including volatilization, incorporation into sediments, biodegradation, photolysis, sorption), movement in soils, and bioconcentration. Toxicology and analytical methodology will be described very briefly. Each student will undertake a detailed individual study of a specific toxic compound.

JTC1134H – Applied Surface and Interface Science
This course covers basic surface physical chemistry relevant to applied science and engineering materials. Among the topics covered are: Surface structures of both crystalline and non-crystalline materials – relaxation, surface electronic structure – work function, band structure, interfacial phenomena, surface thermodynamics, the Gibbs construct, double layer theory, micellular structure, surface kinetics, catalysis, adsorption, adhesion and wetting. This is a companion course to JTC1135, APPLIED SURFACE ANALYSIS which covers analytical techniques for the study of surfaces and interfaces.

JTC1135H – Applied Surface and Interface Analysis
There is no single or simple analytical technique for the study of surfaces and interfaces. Multiple techniques are available, each limited in what it can reveal. A knowledge of most current analytical techniques, their strengths and limitations, is the main material delivered in this course. The fundamentals of the techniques will be presented sufficient to understand the techniques; the material will be presented in the context of relevant technological problems, including individual projects. The fundamentals of surface and interface chemistry is covered extensively in a separate companion course (JTC1134 Applied Surface and Interface Science – taught in alternate winter terms). No prerequisite knowledge of surface chemistry fundamentals is assumed.

JTC1331H – Biomaterials
This course presents an introduction to the science of biomaterials, focusing on polymeric biomaterials and biocompatibility. Topics include biomaterial surface analysis, hydrogel rheology and swelling, protein adsorption, cell adhesion and migration and the foreign body response. Primary focus is on implantable biomaterials but some attention will be given to applications of biomaterials in biotechnology and drug delivery. Specific device or other examples as well as the research literature will be used to illustrate the topic at hand.

* Required: Students need to have taken at least one Biology undergraduate course and should have taken a Polymers undergraduate course.