History and heritage

In the Manchester Technical School in 1887 Professor George E Davis created the chemical engineering academic discipline and wrote its first ever text book.

The Department has been through a number of different guises; in 1918 the Technical School became the Municipal College of Technology before changing again to become The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in 1966.

After UMIST amalgamated with the Victoria University of Manchester to become The University of Manchester in 2004, the associated chemical engineering departments became the School of Chemical Engineering until the summer of 2019.

Continuing tradition through innovation

Both chemical and analytical engineers have been described as 'universal engineers' for their multidisciplinary skills. Today, students in our Department continue to combine expertise in engineering design, physical sciences, life sciences, computer modelling and electronics, working across the boundaries of these disciplines.