Queen’s Chemical Engineering is internationally recognized for its contribution to the field of Process Systems Engineering, with a considerable portfolio of research collaborations with industry. Historically a leading group in statistical process control, current research by members of the group covers all aspects of modeling, control analysis and design, and optimization of chemical process systems, as well as data analytics applied to systems biology.

Process Modeling

Members of the group are leading research on fundamental and data-driven modeling of chemical processes with a substantial effort being devoted to the development of methodologies combining fundamental models with data.

Recent and ongoing collaborations with industry are focused on modeling the dynamic behaviour of a bio-based polymer production process, scale-up and quality control of pharmaceutical production, reactor operation and control with new catalysts, and process improvements for more sustainable production of specialty polymers.

Research Faculty

Names	Rank	Contact
Nicolas Hudon	Assistant Professor	nicolas.hudon@queensu.ca Dupuis Hall 304 613-533-2787
Paul Hungler	Assistant Professor	paul.hungler@queensu.ca Dupuis Hall 313 613-533-6000 ext. 78788
Kim B. McAuley	Professor	kim.mcauley@queensu.ca Dupuis Hall G11 613-533-6000 ext. 77973

Control Engineering

Researchers in the Chemical Engineering department are developing innovative techniques for addressing time-sensitive decision making for the design of high-performance control systems, taking advantage of recent advances in mathematical control theory and control systems technology to develop integrated strategies to improve existing chemical plants to satisfy emission restrictions while reducing energy costs.

Recent and ongoing collaborations with international partners in academia and industry are focused on the analysis and control of multi-physics systems, cybersecurity of chemical plants, data-driven control design, distributed control design, and extremum seeking control.

Research Faculty

Names	Rank	Contact
Martin Guay	Professor	martin.guay@queensu.ca Dupuis Hall 406 613-533-2788
Nicolas Hudon	Assistant Professor	nicolas.hudon@queensu.ca Dupuis Hall 304 613-533-2787

Large-scale Integrated Process Control and Optimization

Researchers involved with the Process Systems Engineering group are developing methodologies to support the development of emerging technologies for problems faced in highly integrated process system environments. Emerging methodologies include machine learning, reinforcement learning, data analytics, distributed optimization, global optimization, real-time optimization and process monitoring.

Recent and ongoing research involve optimal design and operation of energy networks and water networks, large-scale mixed-integer linear and nonlinear optimization, and data-driven optimization.

Research Faculty

Names	Rank	Contact
Martin Guay	Professor	martin.guay@queensu.ca Dupuis Hall 406 613-533-2788
Xiang Li	Associate Professor	xiang.li@queensu.ca Dupuis Hall 403 613-533-6582

Systems Biology and Data Analytics

Researchers in the Chemical Engineering department are studying data analytics methods to uncover what biological objectives drive the behavior of microbes and mammalian cells in various conditions such as microbes that persist in chronic infections. Using distributed message passing algorithms, nonconvex optimization, and network models, high-throughput molecular data sets can be combined with a knowledge base of physico-chemical mechanisms to simulate cellular phenotype.

Recent and on-going research focus on a new graph neural network-based method, as well as machine learning, to explain drug side effects based on the combination of hierarchical graphs describing complex interactions between proteins and drugs.

Research Faculty

Names	Rank	Contact
P. James McLellan	Professor	james.mclellan@queensu.ca Dupuis Hall 316 613-533-2785
Laurence Yang	Assistant Professor	laurence.yang@queensu.ca Dupuis Hall 304 613-533-6000 ext. 75292