Overview

Breaking into chemical and process engineering in New Zealand will share a practical, real-world view of what chemical and process engineering looks like across industries such as food, dairy, energy, and manufacturing, and what it takes to translate science into applied outcomes. You will leave with a clearer understanding of the breadth of the discipline, the types of roles chemical and process engineers move into over time, and realistic insights to help guide your own career decisions in the New Zealand context.

Chemical engineering is the translation of science into applied outcomes. Because it draws on so much of science, it is a very broad discipline. Chemical engineers can be found in almost all manufacturing industries. At the core of the discipline is the understanding of transport processes and system dynamics, which overlay understanding of thermodynamics, reaction kinetics, equilibrium and many more scientific principles.

Achieving the applied outcomes requires chemical engineering design and engineering economics, and these are just the hard skills. The discipline is far larger than any career. Here, in this presentation, Professor Jim Jones will touch on some of the variety that comes with working in research and development, and over time, working with a wide range of industries and applications.

Speaker

Jim Jones, Principal Research Engineer, Fonterra Research and Development Centre

Jim studied chemical and process engineering at the University of Canterbury. During that time, he got interested in wood processing, first working at the Eves Valley sawmill, Nelson, then Tasman Pulp and Paper, Kawerau, followed by the Forest Research Institute, Rotorua (now Scion).

These were a precursor to going to the University of Idaho, United States, to do a Master of Science (chemical engineering), focused on pulp and paper modelling. During this time, he also worked at the Weyerhauser Technical Centre in Tacoma, Washington. Seeking a new opportunity, he went to Australia to work in mineral processing at the Comalco Research Centre in Melbourne, focusing on alumina refining. After a few years, it was time to go on the traditional OE to the UK.

Jim got a job at the University of Cambridge doing food engineering benchwork to defend an impending court case. He stayed on to do a PhD designing granulators for Unilever. On completing the PhD, with a desire to return to New Zealand, he got a lectureship at Massey University, where he became a professor in 2009. In 2024, he moved to Fonterra, where he works in R&D Manufacturing, designing new unit operations. Over time, his R&D activities have covered many areas of the chemical engineering discipline and applied to many applications. He has had particular emphasis on particle technology, reaction engineering, engineering design and techno-economic analysis.

The material presented in this webinar has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the New Zealand member group. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Time

17:30–18:30 NZST.