IChemE President Dr Ollie Folayan launches new inquiry into the five forces shaping chemical engineering
29th September 2026
IChemE President Dr Ollie Folayan has launched Engineering Tomorrow: The Five Forces Shaping Chemical Engineering, a new Presidential Inquiry examining how the profession can respond to, enable and lead the rapid changes reshaping industry and the wider economy. The Inquiry launched today at Chemeca 2026 and Hazards Australasia Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner in Melbourne, Australia.
The core question for the new Inquiry is: How should chemical engineering adapt to, enable and lead the five forces reshaping industry, society and the economy?
The Inquiry will focus on five forces that are already changing the profession:
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning – the impact of AI, data and digital technologies on engineering practice, decision-making and skills.
- Decarbonisation, climate adaptation and resilience – the role of chemical engineering in decarbonisation and building resilient processes, infrastructure and supply chains.
- Materials revolution and the circular economy – enabling lower-impact materials, recycling, recovery and more circular production systems.
- Bio-integration – the growing convergence of chemical engineering, biotechnology and engineering biology, and its implications for industry and skills.
- Modular manufacturing – how flexible, standardised and localised production could reshape manufacturing, supply chains, regulation and process safety.
These forces will not be considered in isolation. The Inquiry will examine how they interact and the role of chemical engineering as an integrating discipline, translating scientific and technological innovation into safe, practical, scalable and economically viable solutions.
The work will also consider six cross-cutting themes: skills and the future workforce; pathways into the profession; scale-up and deployment; process safety; public understanding and trust and international perspectives. The Inquiry will seek evidence and examples from across IChemE's international membership, including Australia and Malaysia.
The Inquiry will bring together perspectives from across the profession, industry, academia, policymakers and beyond. Evidence will be gathered through the open Call for Evidence, alongside targeted submissions, expert roundtables, interviews and international case studies.
The findings will inform a Presidential Inquiry report and practical recommendations for IChemE and its stakeholders, with the final report expected in May 2027.
Have your say on the future of chemical engineering. Share your experience and perspectives with the Inquiry by submitting your evidence before Friday 27 November 2026, 23:59 GTM.
What is chemical engineering?
Chemical, biochemical and process engineering is the application of science, mathematics and economics in the process of turning raw materials into everyday, and more specialist, products. Professional chemical engineers design, construct and manage process operations all over the world. Energy, pharmaceuticals, food and drink, synthetic fibres and clean drinking water are just some of the industry sectors and products where chemical engineering plays a central role.
IChemE
The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) advances chemical engineering's contribution for the benefit of society. We facilitate the development of chemical engineering professionals and provide connections to a powerful network of around 32,000 members in more than 100 countries.
We support our members in applying their expertise and experience to make an influential contribution to solving major global challenges, and are the only organisation permitted to award Chartered Chemical Engineer status and Professional Process Safety Engineer registration.