A four-year postgraduate award intended for the UK’s leading research engineers who aspire to key managerial and research positions within the process industries.

Formulation Engineering is a new approach to the study of materials production whose microstructure is a complex function of process history. It concentrates on research into the physical, chemical and biological processes that create formulated product structure and the maintenance or breakdown of that structure in use. Examples of such products include foods, pharmaceuticals and speciality products such as paints, catalysts, detergents and agrochemicals.

The School of Chemical Engineering is divided into four Research Themes:

• Food, Health and Nutrition led by Professor Peter Fryer
• Energy and Chemical Industries led by Professor Kevin Kendall
• Speciality Products led by Professor Stuart Blackburn
• Bio-industries led by Professor Owen Thomas

Twenty three different companies have sponsored projects to date ranging from blue chip multinationals such as Unilever, Rolls Royce, Cargill, Johnson Matthey, Imerys and Proctor and Gamble to SMEs such as Green Biodiesel, Tornex and Mast Carbon.

Entry requirement to the scheme is extremely high with over three quarters of the Research Engineers having a Masters qualification on joining the scheme. The programme prides itself on converting scientists into Chemical Engineers; over 50% of entrants do not hold a first degree in Chemical Engineering. Recruits have entered the programme with undergraduate degrees in Chemistry, Physics, Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics.

Approximately one third of the intake is female and over 60% graduated from Universities other than Birmingham for their undergraduate degrees. Graduates have joined the scheme from Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, Durham, Leeds, UMIST, York, Warwick and Sheffield. Approximately 10% of the Research Engineers are overseas students from Ireland, Italy, Poland and Spain. A similar percentage had industrial experience before joining.

As well as an industry focussed research project, the Research Engineers have to complete 120 credits worth of taught modules. There is a choice of over 35 different modules mostly at the University but Research Engineers can also select specialised modules at the Universities of Newcastle, Liverpool, Surrey and Delft. The modules cover Science, Engineering, Marketing, Economics, Project Management and Transferable skills such as presentation and team building.

The scheme has a 100% employment record. A third of the Research Engineers have been recruited by their sponsors, whilst several now work for companies that did not sponsor their project but support the scheme. More importantly over 70% are still employed in the field of Formulation Engineering.

For further information please contact:

Dr. Richard Greenwood
0121 414 7234
R.W.Greenwood@bham.ac.uk

Full details can be found at:

www.eng.bham.ac.uk/chemical/study/postgrad/engd.shtml