Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chemical Engineering - Nanotechnology

The program information below was valid for the spring 2023 term (May 1, 2023 - August 31, 2023). This is the archived version; the most up-to-date program information is available through the current Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is updated 3 times per year, at the start of each academic term (January 1, May 1, September 1). Graduate Studies Academic Calendars from previous terms can be found in the archives.

• Admit term(s) 
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Spring
• Delivery mode 
  • On-campus
• Length of program 
  • The minimum period of registration for the PhD degree is four terms. Degree requirements must be satisfied within four calendar years following the date of admission into the PhD program, unless extensions are approved by the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, Engineering. Requests for extension must be supported by a written departmental recommendation along with a realistic timetable for the completion of the degree and evidence of adequate progress in research. Extensions are not granted automatically and will be refused in the case of inadequate progress. University of Waterloo regulations stipulate that approval of an extension past three extended terms is at the discretion of the Associate Provost, Graduate Studies.
• Program type 
  • Collaborative
  • Doctoral
  • Research
• Registration option(s) 
  • Full-time
• Study option(s) 
  • Thesis

• Minimum requirements 
  • At the time of admission, each student must have an approved PhD supervisor, who has agreed in writing to supervise their academic program, or co-supervisors, at least one of whom is an approved PhD supervisor. The Faculty of Engineering maintains a list of individually approved research supervisors called Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisors (ADDS) and additions to and deletions from this list are made by the Engineering Graduate Studies Sub-Committee upon the recommendation of the Chemical Engineering Department’s Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
  • Applicants must demonstrate excellence of background preparation and academic achievement in prior degrees and, usually, possess a relevant, thesis-based Master's degree. In the Faculty of Engineering, a minimum 80% standing in an applicant's appropriate Master's program is the usual requirement. A Master's degree obtained without a full research thesis is normally an inadequate qualification for admission to the PhD program.
  • Within the three required references for admission to Graduate Studies, the opinions on academic preparation and research ability must refer to the applicant’s demonstrated ability to formulate research problems and execute the research required to solve problems, as indicated by a Master’s of Applied Science (MASc) research thesis or published scientific/technical papers. The references should also refer to the applicant having adequate English language skills to pursue a doctoral program, with all of its requirements, at the University of Waterloo.
  • Engineering Graduate Studies Sub-Committee requires objective evidence of English language skills. Technical publications that have been written principally by a student and published in refereed English language journals, and/or a thesis written in English, or a personal interview with the Chemical Engineering Department’s Associate Chair for Graduate Studies are also considered as evidence.
  • Transfer to the PhD program without completion of the MASc program: A student enrolled in a MASc program at the University of Waterloo may apply for transfer to the PhD program without completing a Master's degree. Transfer from a MASc program to a PhD program will normally be initiated at the Department level. The supervisor shall prepare for the Department Graduate Review Committee a memorandum that summarizes the student’s qualifications for transfer. At least one additional written recommendation from a Faculty member of the same Department will facilitate a decision on the transfer request.
  • Admission to the PhD program from a BASc program: In exceptional cases, applicants who have spent at least three years pursuing an appropriate bachelor’s degree may be considered for admission to a PhD program upon request from the Chemical Engineering Department.
• Application materials 
  • Résumé
  • Supplementary information form
  • Transcript(s)
• References 
  • Number of references:  3
  • Type of references: 

    at least 2 academic. Note: The Department reserves the right to request an additional reference.

• English language proficiency (ELP) (if applicable)

Thesis option:

Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)

Courses 

• Students with a MASc degree must complete CHE 600 Engineering and Research Methods, Ethics, Practice, and Law (0.25 credit weight) and 3 graduate courses (0.50 unit weight per course) as follows:
  • NANO 600 Introduction to Nanotechnology
  • 1 nanotechnology core course
  • 1 graduate level CHE elective course
  • If CHE 601 Theory and Application of Transport Phenomena and CHE 602 Chemical Reactor Analysis or course equivalents were not taken during MASc studies, the CHE elective is replaced by CHE 601 and CHE 602
• Note: 1 500 level course may be permitted if recommended by the student's supervisor and the Associate Chair, Graduate Studies prior to enrolling in the course. The course must be approved by the student's supervisor, the Associate Chair, Graduate Studies and the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies.
• No more than 1 may be taught by supervisor(s).
• No more than 1 may be a reading course.
• Note: Students who have a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Nanotechnology Engineering or MASc in Nanotechnology from the University of Waterloo are not allowed to take NANO 600. Instead, they may choose any 1 course from the list of nanotechnology core courses.
• Students without a MASc degree must complete CHE 600 Engineering and Research Methods, Ethics, Practice, and Law (0.25 credit weight) and 7 graduate courses (0.50 unit weight per course) as follows:
  • CHE 601 Theory and Application of Transport Phenomena
  • CHE 602 Chemical Reactor Analysis
  • NANO 600 Introduction to Nanotechnology
  • 1 nanotechnology core course
  • 3 graduate-level elective courses, of which 2 must be CHE courses
• Note: 2 500 level courses may be permitted if recommended by the student's supervisor and the Associate Chair, Graduate Studies prior to enrolling in the courses. The courses must be approved by the student's supervisor, the Associate Chair, Graduate Studies and the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies.
• No more than 2 may be taught by supervisor(s).
• No more than 1 may be a reading course.
• Note: Students who have a BASc in Nanotechnology Engineering from the University of Waterloo are not allowed to take NANO 600. Instead, they may choose any 1 course from the list of nanotechnology core courses.
• Nanotechnology core courses:
  • NANO 601 Characterization of Nanomaterials
  • NANO 602 Structure and Spectroscopy of Nanoscale Materials
  • NANO 603 Nanocomposites
  • NANO 604 Nanomechanics and Molecular Dynamics Simulations
  • NANO 605/SYDE 683 Design of MEMS & NEMS
  • NANO 606/SYDE 682 Advanced MicroElectroMechanical Systems: Physics, Design & Fabrication

• The Chemical Engineering Department may require students to take more than 3 courses. In every case, a graduate course program is established by the supervisor(s) in consultation with the student and, if deemed necessary, with the Associate Chair Graduate Studies of the Department. Students may also be required to take additional courses as a result of a comprehensive examination.

• Graduate courses offered by the Faculty of Engineering are numbered as 600 or 700 series courses and are assigned a unit weight of 0.50, which means that they are one-term courses as defined in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

• Only courses taken within five years prior to the completion of the PhD degree may be counted for credit towards a degree, unless a request for revalidation is granted.

• Students must achieve a:
  • Minimum cumulative average of 70%.
  • Minimum grade of 65% in each individual course.
• Each student is responsible for monitoring their own academic records and must immediately notify the Graduate Studies Manager of any inadequate grade or average.

Link(s) to courses

• Chemical Engineering (CHE) courses
• Nanotechnology (NANO) courses

Seminar Attendance

• Over the course of their degree program, all students must attend 24 seminars:
  • 8 seminars from the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN)
  • 16 seminars from departments and research institutions where Chemical Engineering faculty members have a membership. The Chemical Engineering seminars are documented in the Events section of the Chemical Engineering Department website.  
• Note: At Chemical Engineering seminars, attendance is documented. At other approved seminars, students complete an attendance form and get it signed by the seminar organizer. Full instructions are available on the Department website.

PhD Advisory Committee Meeting and Report

• Students are required to engage in a 30-60 minute, in-person or remote, PhD Advisory Committee meeting, composed of a 15-minute presentation by the student to report research progress along with a written summary of courses and milestones completed.
• The PhD Advisory Committee provides the student with a PhD Advisory Committee Report describing progress on coursework and milestones completed and an assessment by each committee member of the student’s progress (excellent, satisfactory, unsatisfactory) in the following areas:
  • Understanding of material
  • Ability to handle discussion
  • Preparation, presentation, and organization
  • Research progress
  • Coursework progress
  • Overall
• Students with a MASc degree must complete a PhD Advisory Committee meeting during the 3rd term after completing their PhD comprehensive examination, with no extensions.
• Students without a MASc degree must complete a PhD Advisory Committee Meeting during (i) the 4th term from the start of their program and (ii) the 3rd term after completing their PhD comprehensive examination, with no extensions.
• All PhD students will be required to complete a 2nd PhD Advisory Committee Meeting the 3rd term after completion of a previous PhD Advisory Committee Meeting in which their overall progress was assessed as “unsatisfactory” unless they have scheduled a PhD comprehensive examination or defense during that term.

PhD Comprehensive Examination

• Students are required to meet the University-level PhD Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements outlined in the “Minimum requirements for the PhD degree” section of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar (GSAC), with certain noted differences that are specific to the Faculty of Engineering Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements:
  • Comprehensive examination purpose: Consistent with University-level minimum requirements.
  • Timing: Students must follow the Faculty of Engineering completion timelines whereby students shall complete their comprehensive examination before the end of their 4th term or 6th term in cases where the student is admitted to the PhD program without a completed Master’s degree.
  • Committee: Students must follow the Faculty of Engineering committee composition guidelines which differ from the University-level minimum requirements in both number of committee members and committee makeup.
  • Who Chairs an examination: Consistent with University-level minimum requirements.
  • Format / Content: Consistent with University-level minimum requirements but with additional information provided in the Faculty of Engineering Comprehensive Examination minimum requirements.
  • Academic integrity: Consistent with University-level minimum requirements.

PhD Thesis

• Students are expected to maintain continuous registration until their thesis is submitted to Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. Under exceptional circumstances, students may request Departmental approval for inactive terms.
• The role of a supervisor is to help a student establish a research problem with an appropriate scope, suggest alternative general approaches to the solution of a problem, and provide general advice on the structure and content of a thesis. The professional engineering code of ethics must be strictly observed in the supervisor-student relationship.