benchmarking chem eng brief final
International Benchmarking of U.S. Chemical
Engineering Research Competitiveness
This report highlights the main indings of a benchmarking exercise to rate the standing of
U.S. chemical engineering relative to other regions or countries, key factors that inluence
U.S. performance in chemical engineering, and near- and longer-term projections of research leadership.
M
ore than a quarter of the jobs in the United States depend on chemistry in one
way or another, and over $400 billion worth of products rely on innovations
from this ield. Chemical engineering, as an academic discipline and profession,
has enabled the science of chemistry to achieve this level of signiicance. However, over the
last 10-15 years, concerns have been raised about the identity and future of the U.S. chemical
engineering enterprise, stemming from the globalization of the chemical industry; expansion
of the ield’s research scope as it interfaces with other disciplines; and narrowing of the ield’s
ability to address important scientiic and technological questions covering the entire spectrum of
products and processes—from the macroscopic to molecular level.
At the request of the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council conducted an in-depth benchmarking analysis to gauge the current standing of the U.S. chemical
engineering ield in the world. The benchmark measures included: 1) the development of a Virtual
World Congress comprised of the “best of the best” as identiied by leading international experts
in each subarea, 2) analysis of journals to uncover directions of research and relative levels of research activities, 3) analysis of citations to measure the quality of research and its impact, and 4)
the quantitative analysis of trends in degrees conferred to and employment of chemical engineers,
and some other measures including patent productivity and awards.
The United States is presently, and is expected to remain, among the world’s leaders
in all subareas of chemical engineering research, with clear leadership in several subareas.
U.S. leadership in some classical and emerging subareas will be strongly challenged.
NOTE: Asia is comprised of
China, Korea, Taiwan, and India. European Union includes
25 countries.
US A
35,000
30,000
A s ia
(C hina, K orea,
Taiw an, India)
E uropean U nion
25,000
Number of Articles
Figure 1. Number of journal
articles in chemical engineering from various geographic
regions. Although the U.S.
has more than any other
single nation, the comparative
percentage of U.S. articles has
decreased substantially, due in
part to a rapid rise in the number of articles from Asia.
20,000
Japan
15,000
10,000
C anada
5,000
S outh A m eric a
0
1980-84
1985-89
1990-94 1995-99
T im e Pe r io d
2000-06
U.S. leadership in some classical and emerging
subareas will be strongly challenged.
U.S. leadership in the core areas of transport
processes; separations; catalysis; kinetics and reaction
engineering; process development and design; and
dynamics, control, and operational optimization is
now shared with Europe and in some cases Japan,
as shown by decreases in U.S. journal articles and
citations. Japan and other Asian countries are
particularly competitive in the materials-oriented
research, e.g., polymers, inorganic and ceramic
materials, biomaterials, and nanostructured materials.
Europe is also very competitive in the bio-related
subareas of research, while Japan is particularly strong
in bioprocess engineering. The report’s authoring
committee views the current research trends as healthy,
but at the same time, is concerned about the progressive
decline of the U.S. position in the core areas, because it
is strength in fundamentals that has enabled generations
of chemical engineers to create new and highly
competitive technologies for processes and products.
100
90
100 Most Cited Chemical Engineering Papers
The United States is currently among world
leaders in all of the subareas of chemical engineering research identiied in the report, and leads in both
classical subareas such as transport processes as well as
emerging areas such as cellular and metabolic engineering. Although the comparative percentage of U.S.
journal articles has decreased substantially (See Figure
1), the quality and impact still remain very high and
clearly in a leading position. For example, 73 of the
100 most cited papers in chemical engineering literature during the period 2000-2006 came from the United
States (see Figure 2). In addition, the United States
leads in the percentage of journal articles with 100 or
more citations. As a result, the United States is expected to maintain its current position at the “Forefront”
or “Among World Leaders” in all subareas of chemical engineering research, and to expand and extend its
current position into subareas such as biocatalysis and
protein engineering; cellular and metabolic engineering;
systems, computational, and synthetic biology; nanostructured materials; fossil energy and extraction and
processing; non-fossil energy, and green engineering.
80
70
United S tates
60
As ia
50
E uropean Union
40
C anada
Japan
30
20
10
0
1985-90
2000-06
Figure 2. Contributions to top 100 most cited chemical engineering journal articles. In recent decades, the United States has been
a strong leader. It is noteworthy that in 2000-2006, 13 of the 100
most cited papers were contributions from Asia.
NOTE: Asia is comprised of China and Korea, and the European
Union includes 25 countries. This igure was derived from data in
Table 3.3 of the report.
Factors signiicantly affecting the leadership
position of the United States in the future.
The range of chemical engineering research over
many spatial and temporal scales, across a broad range
of products and processes, and throughout a variety of
industries and social needs it serves, has led to innovation and competitiveness but is presently at risk. Most
biotechnology and nanotechnology technologies being
explored today rely on traditional chemical engineering
for implementation. Creating conditions for a more
balanced approach that safeguards the dynamic range
of chemical engineering research is critical to addressing national needs in energy and the environment and
preserving U.S. competitiveness in the future. Future
U.S. leadership in chemical engineering is not guaranteed. Many factors could signiicantly affect the position of the U.S., and include shifting funding priorities
by federal agencies, reductions in industrial support of
academic research in the United State, and decreases in
talented foreign graduate students, among others.
This brief was prepared by the National Research Council based on a report by the Committee on
Benchmarking the Research Competitiveness of the United States in Chemical Engineering. The report
was sponsored by the National Science Foundation. For more information, contact the Board on Chemical
Sciences and Technology at (202) 334-2156 or visit http://dels.nas.edu/bcst. Copies of International
Benchmarking of U.S. Chemical Engineering Research Competitiveness are available from the National
Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001; (800) 624-6242; www.nap.edu.
Permission granted to reproduce this document with no additions or deletions.
Copyright 2007 The National Academy of Sciences
Engineering Research Competitiveness
This report highlights the main indings of a benchmarking exercise to rate the standing of
U.S. chemical engineering relative to other regions or countries, key factors that inluence
U.S. performance in chemical engineering, and near- and longer-term projections of research leadership.
M
ore than a quarter of the jobs in the United States depend on chemistry in one
way or another, and over $400 billion worth of products rely on innovations
from this ield. Chemical engineering, as an academic discipline and profession,
has enabled the science of chemistry to achieve this level of signiicance. However, over the
last 10-15 years, concerns have been raised about the identity and future of the U.S. chemical
engineering enterprise, stemming from the globalization of the chemical industry; expansion
of the ield’s research scope as it interfaces with other disciplines; and narrowing of the ield’s
ability to address important scientiic and technological questions covering the entire spectrum of
products and processes—from the macroscopic to molecular level.
At the request of the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council conducted an in-depth benchmarking analysis to gauge the current standing of the U.S. chemical
engineering ield in the world. The benchmark measures included: 1) the development of a Virtual
World Congress comprised of the “best of the best” as identiied by leading international experts
in each subarea, 2) analysis of journals to uncover directions of research and relative levels of research activities, 3) analysis of citations to measure the quality of research and its impact, and 4)
the quantitative analysis of trends in degrees conferred to and employment of chemical engineers,
and some other measures including patent productivity and awards.
The United States is presently, and is expected to remain, among the world’s leaders
in all subareas of chemical engineering research, with clear leadership in several subareas.
U.S. leadership in some classical and emerging subareas will be strongly challenged.
NOTE: Asia is comprised of
China, Korea, Taiwan, and India. European Union includes
25 countries.
US A
35,000
30,000
A s ia
(C hina, K orea,
Taiw an, India)
E uropean U nion
25,000
Number of Articles
Figure 1. Number of journal
articles in chemical engineering from various geographic
regions. Although the U.S.
has more than any other
single nation, the comparative
percentage of U.S. articles has
decreased substantially, due in
part to a rapid rise in the number of articles from Asia.
20,000
Japan
15,000
10,000
C anada
5,000
S outh A m eric a
0
1980-84
1985-89
1990-94 1995-99
T im e Pe r io d
2000-06
U.S. leadership in some classical and emerging
subareas will be strongly challenged.
U.S. leadership in the core areas of transport
processes; separations; catalysis; kinetics and reaction
engineering; process development and design; and
dynamics, control, and operational optimization is
now shared with Europe and in some cases Japan,
as shown by decreases in U.S. journal articles and
citations. Japan and other Asian countries are
particularly competitive in the materials-oriented
research, e.g., polymers, inorganic and ceramic
materials, biomaterials, and nanostructured materials.
Europe is also very competitive in the bio-related
subareas of research, while Japan is particularly strong
in bioprocess engineering. The report’s authoring
committee views the current research trends as healthy,
but at the same time, is concerned about the progressive
decline of the U.S. position in the core areas, because it
is strength in fundamentals that has enabled generations
of chemical engineers to create new and highly
competitive technologies for processes and products.
100
90
100 Most Cited Chemical Engineering Papers
The United States is currently among world
leaders in all of the subareas of chemical engineering research identiied in the report, and leads in both
classical subareas such as transport processes as well as
emerging areas such as cellular and metabolic engineering. Although the comparative percentage of U.S.
journal articles has decreased substantially (See Figure
1), the quality and impact still remain very high and
clearly in a leading position. For example, 73 of the
100 most cited papers in chemical engineering literature during the period 2000-2006 came from the United
States (see Figure 2). In addition, the United States
leads in the percentage of journal articles with 100 or
more citations. As a result, the United States is expected to maintain its current position at the “Forefront”
or “Among World Leaders” in all subareas of chemical engineering research, and to expand and extend its
current position into subareas such as biocatalysis and
protein engineering; cellular and metabolic engineering;
systems, computational, and synthetic biology; nanostructured materials; fossil energy and extraction and
processing; non-fossil energy, and green engineering.
80
70
United S tates
60
As ia
50
E uropean Union
40
C anada
Japan
30
20
10
0
1985-90
2000-06
Figure 2. Contributions to top 100 most cited chemical engineering journal articles. In recent decades, the United States has been
a strong leader. It is noteworthy that in 2000-2006, 13 of the 100
most cited papers were contributions from Asia.
NOTE: Asia is comprised of China and Korea, and the European
Union includes 25 countries. This igure was derived from data in
Table 3.3 of the report.
Factors signiicantly affecting the leadership
position of the United States in the future.
The range of chemical engineering research over
many spatial and temporal scales, across a broad range
of products and processes, and throughout a variety of
industries and social needs it serves, has led to innovation and competitiveness but is presently at risk. Most
biotechnology and nanotechnology technologies being
explored today rely on traditional chemical engineering
for implementation. Creating conditions for a more
balanced approach that safeguards the dynamic range
of chemical engineering research is critical to addressing national needs in energy and the environment and
preserving U.S. competitiveness in the future. Future
U.S. leadership in chemical engineering is not guaranteed. Many factors could signiicantly affect the position of the U.S., and include shifting funding priorities
by federal agencies, reductions in industrial support of
academic research in the United State, and decreases in
talented foreign graduate students, among others.
This brief was prepared by the National Research Council based on a report by the Committee on
Benchmarking the Research Competitiveness of the United States in Chemical Engineering. The report
was sponsored by the National Science Foundation. For more information, contact the Board on Chemical
Sciences and Technology at (202) 334-2156 or visit http://dels.nas.edu/bcst. Copies of International
Benchmarking of U.S. Chemical Engineering Research Competitiveness are available from the National
Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001; (800) 624-6242; www.nap.edu.
Permission granted to reproduce this document with no additions or deletions.
Copyright 2007 The National Academy of Sciences