Successful development of robust, safe, economical and green chemical processes depends on the knowledge and practical skills of process chemists. This Major provides core training in chemistry and chemical engineering, as well as the necessary skills to manage projects involving chemical production ranging ‘from the milligram to the ton’.
The CDP team at the School of Engineering and Architecture Fribourg (HEIA-FR) develops efficient and robust syntheses of given molecules respecting economic and ecologic aspects. This includes thorough analytical work (e.g. off-line and on-line process control, product characterisation), process characterisation regarding safety and kinetics, synthetic work (route finding, route enabling and optimisation), and engineering aspects (e.g. reaction engineering, separation & purification technologies, smart process automation).
Double diploma with the University of Bologna
The CDP Major offers an international opportunity for academic excellence through a dual-degree agreement with the University of Bologna. This integrated programme leads to two recognised Master’s degrees:
- Master of Science (HES-SO) in Life Sciences, Major in Chemical Development and Production
- Laurea Magistrale in Low Carbon Technologies and Sustainable Chemistry (LoCaTe)
The programme involves integrated study mobility between Switzerland and Italy:
- 1st year: Study for the Master of Science in Life Sciences (CDP specialisation) at HES-SO.
- 2nd year: Study at the University of Bologna to follow the specialised LoCaTe programme, write and defend your Master’s thesis.
As places are limited, candidates are selected on the basis of their application in accordance with HES-SO criteria. A specific call for applications will be published each year. Selected students may be eligible for available mobility grants (subject to the applicable award criteria). Due to the academic structure of the University of Bologna, the mobility programme must begin in the autumn semester.
If you are interested, please contact the programme coordinator, Olivier Nicolet.
Objectives
Master graduates will be able to:
- Enable and optimise synthetic protocols stemming from the research lab. They possess the ability to search and evaluate new synthetic pathways including catalysis and green chemistry in a vision of sustainability.
- Evaluate safety aspects of chemical processes and products.
- Understand and apply chemical analytics, data treatment with chemometric methodologies and optimize synthetic routes by automated experimentation based on statistical design.
- Use and develop methodologies for industrial scale-up of reactions and purification processes.
- Establish standard operation procedures, risk analysis, and cost analysis taking in account regulatory aspects.
- Design and implement a chemical production unit by integrating automation and process control.
Modules
The schedule is available here and the modules with their descriptions can all be found here. Modules are organized according the following structure:
First year*
| Group | Number of modules | Number of credits |
| Project | 2 compulsory modules | 10 |
| Specialization modules | 5 compulsory modules | 20 |
| Cluster specific | Minimum 3 modules in the cluster of the major | 30 |
| Core competences | Minimum 4 modules | |
| Additional offer | Optional |
Second year*
| Group | Number of modules | Number of credits |
| LoCaTe | Mandatory for students taking the double diploma with the University of Bologna | 30 |
| Master thesis | 1 compulsory module | 30 |
Additional information about the interdisciplinary project (module PI01) and about the Master thesis (modules X02 and X03) is available on the main page of the Master.
* Part-time students split the program of the first year across two year and complete the Master thesis full-time during the third year.
Professors
 | Dr. Christophe Allemann Lecturer of Process Chemistry since 2013. Competences in process development and process optimization, industrial chemistry, flow chemistry, catalysis and physical organic chemistry. |
 | Dr. Véronique Breguet Mercier Associate Professor of Industrial Chemistry since 2015 Competences in Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, Process Safety, biomass valorization and environmental applications. Coordinator of module S05. |
 | Dr. Thierry Chappuis Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering since 2008. Competences in chemical and bioprocess Engineering, reactor engineering, process modelling, separation processes. Coordinator of module S04. |
 | Dr. Michal Dabros Associate Professor of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering since 2010. Competences in Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, Process modeling, monitoring, control and optimization, and Process Analytical Technology (PAT). Coordinator of module S03. |
 | Ludovic Gremaud Full Professor of Chemical Process Engineering with extensive expertise in Process Research and Development (PR&D), process optimization, and continuous improvement strategies. Specialized in green process development, organic synthesis, and chiral catalysis, with a strong focus on translating fundamental chemistry into efficient and sustainable industrial applications. Experienced in industrial chemistry and advanced process simulation, contributing to innovation and performance enhancement across chemical processes. Coordinator of module C6. |
 | Carmen Jungo Rhême Full Professor of Biotechnology since 2023 & Director of Biofactory Competence Center (BCC) Competences in bioprocess development, including cell culture and protein purification, process scale‑up and technology transfer, process validation and Quality-by-Design (QbD) process characterization, process data management and production capacity simulation, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). |
 | Fiorella Lucarini Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry since 2022. Competences in analytical methods for quantification of pollutants in environmental matrices, migration of trace pollutants, and quantification of contaminants in food. |
 | Dr. Olimpia Mamula Steiner Full Professor of Organic Chemistry and Catalysis at HEIA-FR (HES-SO) since 2009. Previously held teaching and independent research positions at several universities, including UNIL, EPFL, University of Basel, and University of Fribourg. Research expertise lies in organic and inorganic synthesis, with a strong focus on coordination chemistry of d- and f-block metals, supramolecular systems, and functional materials. Additional areas of specialization include nanostructured functional inks, (nano)catalysis, and the design of chiral and luminescent molecular systems. |
 | Dr. Roger Marti Full Professor of Organic Chemistry & Process Chemistry since 2009. Competences in synthesis & process research, chiral catalysis, new synthesis technologies (micro reactors & solid phase synthesis), and molecules for applications in life sciences. Coordinator of module S01 and module C3. |
 | Dr. Olivier Nicolet Lecturer of Physical Chemistry since 2016. Head of CDP specialization. Competences in thermodynamic, kinetic, optical spectroscopy and physical characterization of food. |
 | Cyril Portmann Associate professor of Analytical Chemistry and Spectral Analysis for Structure Elucidation since 2020. Competences in analytical chemistry, structure determination, drug development, natural product chemistry and bioassays. Coordinator of module S22. |
 | Olivier Vorlet Lecturer of Automation since 1999. Competences in process automation, process control and instrumentation. |
Contact
Dr Olivier Nicolet
Head of the major
School of Engineering and Architecture Fribourg
Boulevard de Pérolles 80
1700 Fribourg
T +41 26 429 67 05
olivier.nicolet(at)hefr.ch
