How to become a chemical engineer
Official title: Chemical engineer (petrochemical)
Also called: Petrochemical engineer, Petrochemical engineer (plastics), Petrochemical engineer (polymer), Petrochemical engineer (plastics), Petrochemical engineer (polymer)
Chemical engineer (petrochemical) studies, develops and advises on processes for breaking down crude oil and petroleum, and processes that use the base components and derivative products to develop everyday products such as plastics, rubber and synthetic fibres. He/she also deals with applied research and development and other technical roles in the plant or refinery.
Main tasks
- Conducting research and advising on, and developing commercial-scale chemical processes to refine crude oil and other liquids or gases, and to produce substances and items such as petroleum derivatives, explosives, food and drink products, medicines or synthetic materials
- Specifying chemical production methods, materials and quality standards and ensuring that they conform to specifications
- Establishing control standards and procedures to ensure safety and efficiency of chemical production operations and safety of workers operating equipment or working in close proximity to on-going chemical reactions
- Designing chemical plant equipment and devising processes for manufacturing chemicals and products
- Performing tests throughout stages of production to determine degree of control over variables, including temperature, density, specific gravity, and pressure
- Developing safety procedures to be employed
- Preparing estimates of production costs and production progress reports for management
- Performing laboratory studies of steps in manufacture of new products and testing proposed processes in small scale operations such as a pilot plant
Ways in
- University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Chemical engineer (excluding petroleum and petrochemical)
- Chemical engineer (petroleum)
- Food/Drink technologist
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Questions people ask
How do I become a chemical engineer?
Ways in include: Engineering degrees.
Will AI change the work of a chemical engineer?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026