106 undergraduates, 6 graduate students, and 14 capstone projects mark a milestone April for CBE.
A Milestone Moment for CBE Graduates
The April 2026 commencement ceremonies at Brigham Young University marked a significant achievement for graduating students across campus, including those in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE). Held in conjunction with the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering convocation, the event brought together faculty, families, and graduates to celebrate years of rigorous academic and professional preparation.
Graduation Numbers
- University-wide: 6,864 degrees conferred at the April 2026 commencement, including 244 doctoral degrees.
- College of Engineering: 710 degrees awarded.
- Chemical and Biological Engineering — Undergraduate: 106 degrees awarded.
- Chemical and Biological Engineering — Graduate: 6 degrees awarded, with several graduating at the end of summer.
Destinations
Industry: DOW Chemical, Naval Nuclear Laboratory, Northrop Grumman, RTX (Raytheon), ExxonMobil, Valero Energy Corp, Flowserve, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Terraphene, EaglePicher Technologies, Ashworth Leninger Group, Enviroguard, Energy Northwest, Wunderlich Malec, U.S. Navy, USAF, Process Research and Intensification Research Lab.
Graduate School: Purdue University, University of Utah.
Professional (Medical, Dental, Law, etc.): Two students are bound for law school, and one to medical school.
- Jackson Ivory — "Enhancing Fuel Performance of Molten Salt Reactors Through Improved Thermophysical Property Data, High-Fidelity Simulation, and Advanced Control Strategies"
- Spencer Bandi — "Biomass Fuel Processing, Mineral Matter Engineering, and Ash Phase Equilibria for Deposition Control in Coal to Biomass Boiler Conversion"
- J. Marvin Torrie — "Improving Electrochemical Measurements and Informing Future Reprocessing of Advanced Nuclear Fuels"
- Brooke Lillie — "Mild Thermal Treatment of Lithium-Ion Batteries to Optimize Black Mass Production"
- Cassandra Guffey —"Thermophysical Property Studies: 1. Thermodynamic Consistency for Associating Compounds 2. Autoignition Temperature…"
- Frank Mtetwa — "Towards Hybrid and Physics-Based Machine Learning for Accurate Thermophysical Property Prediction of Organic Compounds"
Musical Talent
Our CBE students bring more than engineering talent — many are accomplished musicians as well. Watch their performance during convocation below.
Capstone Projects: From Classroom to Industry
A defining feature of the CBE undergraduate experience is the senior capstone program. At the 2026 Symposium, graduating seniors showcased the culmination of 14 industry-relevant projects. These capstone experiences emphasize:
- Process design and optimization
- Computational modeling and simulation
- Biological and biochemical engineering applications
- Materials testing and advanced characterization
- Energy systems, including nuclear and combustion research
Faculty and industry partners consistently note that "capstone deliverables — ranging from full process designs to pilot-scale evaluations — represent some of the most impactful undergraduate work produced at BYU."
Read more about the CBE Capstone Program and how to get involved.
Looking Ahead
As the 2026 CBE graduates move into industry, graduate school, and research careers, they carry with them a foundation built on technical excellence and real-world application. Their capstone experiences, combined with BYU's emphasis on values-driven education, position them to contribute meaningfully to sectors such as energy, biotechnology, nuclear, materials science, and environmental engineering.
The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering continues to strengthen its partnerships with industry and expand opportunities for students — ensuring that future graduating classes will be equally prepared to lead, innovate, and serve.
