Overview
The PhD program in Chemical Engineering (further in the text: PhD program), fully taught in English, is designed to provide a sophisticated knowledge base and advanced skills at the expert level for individuals planning a career in academia, industry and research settings in any of the subfields of the Chemical Engineering discipline. The program focuses on the development of an in-depth understanding of the nature, implementation, and evaluation of chemical engineering principles and applications, together with the growth of research skills. The current areas of research interest for the PhD in Chemical Engineering encompass a wide spectrum, with specific focus on priority areas for Kazakhstan, such as: energy generation, conversion and storage; environmental protection, remediation and resource efficiency; hydrocarbon processing; plastics production and processing; food processing; bioprocesses; red, green and white biotechnologies.
These areas are also aligned with well-known research priorities, such as: Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies (Information and Communication Technologies; Nanotechnologies; Advanced Materials; Advanced Manufacturing and Processing); Environment, Future and Emerging Technologies; Health, demographic change and wellbeing (Improving diagnosis; Innovative treatments and technologies; Integrated, sustainable, citizen-centered care).
By the completion of the PhD program, students will be capable of designing and conducting independent, innovative, original and high-quality research related to a variety of topics in chemical engineering. In addition, program graduates will be prepared for working in industrial and academic environments in the positions of e.g. university faculty members, senior researchers, engineers, and product developers.
The PhD program has been designed in line with the revised Graduate Programs Framework of Nazarbayev University.
These areas are also aligned with well-known research priorities, such as: Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies (Information and Communication Technologies; Nanotechnologies; Advanced Materials; Advanced Manufacturing and Processing); Environment, Future and Emerging Technologies; Health, demographic change and wellbeing (Improving diagnosis; Innovative treatments and technologies; Integrated, sustainable, citizen-centered care).
By the completion of the PhD program, students will be capable of designing and conducting independent, innovative, original and high-quality research related to a variety of topics in chemical engineering. In addition, program graduates will be prepared for working in industrial and academic environments in the positions of e.g. university faculty members, senior researchers, engineers, and product developers.
The PhD program has been designed in line with the revised Graduate Programs Framework of Nazarbayev University.
General information
- Campus: Astana, Kazakhstan
- Language: English
- Delivery mode: Full time, on-campus
- Duration: 4 years
- Total ECTS credit: 240
Program Aims
The program aims to prepare:
- The overarching aim of the program is to develop high-quality doctoral researchers who are ready and able to make a lasting contribution to addressing scientific, technological, economic, societal and environmental challenges of global significance. The program aims to prepare: specialists for advanced careers in (national and multinational) industry and academia in Kazakhstan, in neighboring countries and internationally.
- To prepare future policy and decision-makers for careers in governmental agencies, public service, and the social economy, in Kazakhstan, and globally.
- To prepare entrepreneurs who will be able to promote advanced and innovative science-rich technologies anywhere in the world.
- To prepare new generation of commercially aware and technologically advanced scientists and technologists to lead future developments in the chosen chemical and materials engineering sub-discipline.
- To prepare future academics and researchers in chemical engineering sub-disciplines for careers as specialists in universities of Kazakhstan and other parts of the world.
Key Advantages
- Expert-level doctoral educationdesigned for advanced careers in academia, research, industry, technology development, and public-sector leadership.1
- Strong emphasis on original and independent researchenabling students to generate new knowledge and make a significant contribution to a specialised area of chemical engineering.2
- Research aligned with Kazakhstan’s strategic prioritiesincluding energy generation and storage, environmental protection, hydrocarbon processing, plastics, food processing, bioprocesses, and biotechnology.3
- Integration of chemical and materials engineeringallowing students to conduct research in reaction engineering, advanced materials, polymer processing, energy materials, environmental technologies, and computational materials science.4
- Flexible specialisation opportunitiesthrough doctoral-level electives selected according to the student’s dissertation topic and approved by the lead supervisor.5
- Advanced experimental and computational trainingincluding mathematical modelling, numerical simulation, process analysis, materials characterisation, laboratory research, and interpretation of complex data.6
- Continuous thesis research throughout the programmebeginning in the first year and supported by regular progress reviews, research planning, academic writing, and peer-reviewed publication.7
- Individual supervision by a multidisciplinary committeeconsisting of a lead supervisor, an internal co-supervisor from Nazarbayev University, and an external co-supervisor from outside the University.8
- International and industry exposureincluding research and development links with external organisations and the opportunity to complete a three- to twelve-month internship at an approved international research facility.9
- Teaching and academic-development experiencewith doctoral students contributing to the University’s teaching mission as Teaching Assistants.10
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Review, analyse, and evaluate the body of scientific literature in their field of study in Chemical Engineering.
- Select appropriate research topics in their field of study in Chemical Engineering, and generate hypotheses about such topics.
- Plan, develop, analyse and communicate research in writing and verbally independently.
- Make an original contribution to the knowledge in their area of specialization within Chemical Engineering.
- Judge technically and ethically and relate their research to the broader field of knowledge in their Chemical Engineering sub-discipline.
- Develop their academic/scholarly career through presentations, publications, and national and international networking.
What Will You Learn?
- Research methodology and research ethics
- Critical analysis of scientific literature
- Research-question and hypothesis development
- Experimental design, data collection, and validation
- Advanced chemical reaction engineering
- Chemical kinetics and reactor modelling
- Advanced chemical-engineering thermodynamics
- Heat and mass transfer
- Fluid mechanics and transport phenomena
- Polymer rheology and polymer processing
- Computational materials engineering
- Advanced materials processing and manufacturing
- Energy materials and electrochemical technologies
- Process modelling and numerical simulation
- Academic writing, peer review, and scientific communication
- Independent research and dissertation development
Curriculum
¹ Course may be waived for NU graduates and replaced by a Level-8 course (core or elective) selected by the student’s supervisory committee and approved by the corresponding departmental committee.
² 0 ECTS credited if the thesis is not completed / defended in that semester.
³ If not submitted / defended, the requirement carries forward to the following semester.
² 0 ECTS credited if the thesis is not completed / defended in that semester.
³ If not submitted / defended, the requirement carries forward to the following semester.
Elective Courses
DCHME 752 - Polymer Melt Fluid Mechanics and Processing
DCHME 755 - Integrated Computational Materials Engineering
DCHME 762 - Advanced Materials Processing
DCHME 766 - Advanced Energy Materials and Their Application
DCHME 763 - Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer
DCHME 752 - Polymer Melt Fluid Mechanics and Processing
DCHME 755 - Integrated Computational Materials Engineering
DCHME 762 - Advanced Materials Processing
DCHME 766 - Advanced Energy Materials and Their Application
DCHME 763 - Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer
Core modules
The list of core modules
The mathematical sub-discipline of differential equations is foundational in the study of applied mathematics for engineers. Differential equations arise in a variety of contexts, some more theoretical and some of practical interest. The qualitative and quantitative study of differential equations incorporates an elegant mixture of linear algebra and advanced calculus. For this reason, it is expected that the student has already completed courses in (i) linear algebra; (ii) multivariable calculus; and (iii) introductory differential equations.
The course will cover advanced topics of first order and second order ODEs like initial and boundary value problem and stability of solutions and phase portrait of them. A classification will be provided of the various existing types of methods for exploring solutions in connection with the various types of scientific and technological mathematical models that utilize them. The content of the course includes power series techniques as well as the Laplace transformation method for acquiring solutions of ODEs.
Furthermore, PDEs will be studied to model problems involving functions of several variables, and are either solved by hand, or used to create a relevant computer model. PDEs categories will be connected with a wide variety of interesting and important phenomena such as sound, heat, electrostatics, electrodynamics, fluid dynamics, elasticity, or quantum mechanics. All these seemingly distinct physical phenomena can be formalized similarly in terms of PDEs. The content of the course will cover techniques that refer to Elliptic, Parabolic Partial Differential Equations and Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations as well as Initial and Boundary Conditions. The course will be delivered with lectures that will deliver the necessary theoretical background.
The course will cover advanced topics of first order and second order ODEs like initial and boundary value problem and stability of solutions and phase portrait of them. A classification will be provided of the various existing types of methods for exploring solutions in connection with the various types of scientific and technological mathematical models that utilize them. The content of the course includes power series techniques as well as the Laplace transformation method for acquiring solutions of ODEs.
Furthermore, PDEs will be studied to model problems involving functions of several variables, and are either solved by hand, or used to create a relevant computer model. PDEs categories will be connected with a wide variety of interesting and important phenomena such as sound, heat, electrostatics, electrodynamics, fluid dynamics, elasticity, or quantum mechanics. All these seemingly distinct physical phenomena can be formalized similarly in terms of PDEs. The content of the course will cover techniques that refer to Elliptic, Parabolic Partial Differential Equations and Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations as well as Initial and Boundary Conditions. The course will be delivered with lectures that will deliver the necessary theoretical background.
The course will facilitate the understanding of research planning and development, while enhancing the PhD student skills for reading, interpreting, writing and presenting his/her scientific and technical ideas to the peer community. The course will also deliver theory and examples of a variety of research methods and ethical principles associated to them.
This course is designed to monitor progress and develop understandings, skills, and outlooks to conduct original, independent research at the PhD level. The student will develop (with the advisor’s guidance) a research plan at the beginning of the semester that will state a research problem/question/hypothesis, its background, outline a research strategy and experimental approach, method of data collection, interpretation and validation, and method of communication of the project results to others. The research plan is used as the basis for assessment of the student’s research progress.
This course develops doctoral students’ ability to read, evaluate, organize, and synthesize current research literature in a critical and methodologically transparent way. By the end of the course, students will be able to formulate a focused review question, design and document an appropriate literature search strategy, critically compare published studies, identify gaps and contradictions in the field of mechanical engineering, and produce a concise survey paper.
Elective Courses
This PhD-level graduate course will cover the use of fluid mechanics and simulation in the analysis of processing operations for polymeric materials. We present a theoretical analysis of the typical flows used for the derivation of the flow curve of polymer melts (simple shear, cone-and-plate, parallel plate, Couette, Poiseuille, slit flow), derive the models on which rheometry is based and illustrate the limitations of each technique. In the last part of the course we present the application of the lubrication approximation to derive workable models for polymer processing operations. More advanced models, typically dealt with by the PhD students, will include use of Hele-Shaw and other lubrication flows. During the last segment of the course the students undertake an individual research project of computational (simulation and analysis of some polymer processing operation, possibly outside those covered in the class), experimental (measurement of an important property of a polymer system, such as viscosity or glass transition temperature) or bibliographical (critical review and exposition of a novel polymeric product or processing technology) nature. The PhD level project will be delivered to a class in the form of a lecture, in accordance to PLO-6 of the PhD Program.
Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) is an emerging discipline that aims to integrate computational material science tools into a holistic system that can accelerate materials development, improve design optimization, and unify design and manufacturing. Increasingly, ICME is the preferred paradigm for design, development, and manufacturing of advanced structural and functional materials. This PhD course aims at providing students with new state-of-the-technology tools for selecting, designing, optimizing, and manufacturing new materials. More specifically, this course covers the following topics with their associated length scale bridging methodologies: electronic structure calculations, atomistic modeling methods, coarse-graining and simulations at the mesoscale, as well as macroscopic modeling in the frame of continuum mechanics. Cases studies are examined to show how the principles and methods of ICME may be applied to design materials, processes and advanced products.
This PhD course provides comprehensive coverage of the main technologies for the production of high-value materials from polymers to novel ceramics to daily used consumer care products, as well as the theory which underlies materials processing operations. In the area of polymers, prediction of fiber orientations in flow will form part of this PhD level course. Design and manufacturing of polymeric composites, ceramic matrix composites and thin films, as well as colloidal systems like emulsions will also be discussed. The conventional and modern manufacturing technologies such as extrusion, molding, sintering, 3D printing, chemical vapor deposition, tape casting and chemical vapor infiltration will be covered in this course, as well as typical manufacturing challenges when dealing with non-Newtonian fluids. The mathematical analysis of extrusion and molding will be covered. A PhD level project will be carried out and will be delivered in class in the form of a lecture, in accordance to PLO-9 of the PhD Program.
The purpose of the course is to give an understanding of principles energy material science. This course includes lectures on the fundamentals, characterizations, preparation and evaluation methods of advanced and currently used materials for energy applications. Energy generation, conversion and storage in solar cells, fuel cells and particularly Li-ion batteries are going to be presented. Additionally, some unique properties of materials will be considered for designing of batteries for particular applications. Other advanced energy related technologies as fuel cell and photovoltaics will be introduced and the mainly applied materials will be discussed. Students will be engaged in the experimental works involving preparation of electrodes and electrolytes, and also assembly of coin cells and performance testing. Fabrication and studying of nanomaterials will be also taken into account in the laboratory works, as well as their physical properties characterization through the techniques of XRD, BET, spectroscopy etc. Finally, assembled batteries will undergo evaluation by its electrochemical measurement. Students will carry our individual and group projects, therefore be trained to design the experimental work, characterization/evaluation of the physical/electrochemical properties and interpret the overall obtained results.
This PhD-level graduate course will employ the application of the general conservation equations (conservation of mass, momentum, and energy) for studying the heat and mass transfer processes related to different types of systems and geometries. Modeling of heat and mass transfer processes for engineering systems, exposed to variety of initial and boundary conditions, is an integral part of this course. More advanced techniques to solve the simplified version of the modeled equations, as for example in the case of the Blassius problem (convective heat transfer), will be introduced. Non-dimensionalization will be applied throughout. Analytical solutions for two-dimensional heat transfer will be derived. Numerical techniques will be applied to solve 3-dimensional complex problems. Applications of heat and mass transfer analyses to different fields of chemical and materials engineering will be considered. The course will culminate in a research project, which will be presented to the class in the form of a lecture.
Where do our graduates work?
- Career opportunities
- University Lecturer or Professor
- Senior Researcher
- Research Scientist
- Chemical Engineering Researcher
- Research and Development Engineer
- Energy Generation or Storage Researcher
- Environmental Remediation Researcher
- Hydrocarbon Processing Researcher
- Polymer or Plastics Researcher
- Bioprocess or Biotechnology Researcher
- Food Processing Researcher
- Advanced Materials Researcher
- Engineering Product Developer
- Research Project Manager
- Research Laboratory Director
- Technology and Innovation Consultant
- Government Technical or Policy Adviser
- Innovation Manager
- Technology Entrepreneur or Start-up Founder
- Where?
- Universities and higher-education institutions
- National and international research centres
- KMG Engineering
- Tengizchevroil (TCO)
- SLB
- North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC)
- Kazatomprom
- Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries Inc. (KPI)
- Karachaganak Petroleum Operating B.V. (KPO)
- Baker Hughes, PSI Group
- and other companies in the chemical, energy, materials, manufacturing, and environmental sectors.
Admissions & Apply now
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Admission
Admission
53 Kabanbay Batyr Ave
Astana city, Republic of Kazakhstan
Astana city, Republic of Kazakhstan