The Ph.D. degree represents the highest level of academic preparation. With it, a student can expect to maintain technical competence and contributions throughout a professional career. It is usually the preferred degree for research and development in industry and government and for teaching. Doctoral studies emphasize independent research under the guidance of a research advisor in a field related to Chemical and Biological Engineering, culminating in the writing of a thesis document and its defense in a presentation to the department and the thesis committee. Financial support typically comes from fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or a combination.<br><br>A large polymer research program focuses on block copolymer reaction engineering, self-assembly, and the development of ion conducting polymers for fuel cell and battery applications. Current work emphasizes understanding fundamental polymer structure property relationships, rheology, membrane development, and a large interdisciplinary program on biocatalysis in polymer synthesis and modification.