The Sargent Centre for Process Systems Engineering

Innovation. Excellence. Real-World Impact.

The Sargent Centre for Process Systems Engineering is a world-leading research centre focused on making industrial processes smarter, safer, and more efficient. From chemical manufacturing to vaccine production, our work helps industry reduce waste, increase productivity, and become more sustainable.

Thanks to powerful computers and advanced modelling techniques, our researchers are tackling some of today’s most complex challenges—delivering real results that benefit society and the environment.

Who Was Professor Roger Sargent?

The Centre is named in honour of Professor Roger W.H. Sargent, a pioneer who transformed how we design and run chemical processes. Often called the father of Process Systems Engineering (PSE), he had a simple but revolutionary idea:

Use computers and mathematics to improve how we design and optimise industrial systems.

Professor Sargent saw this potential as early as the 1960s. In his landmark 1967 paper “Integrated Design and Optimisation of Processes,” he laid out the framework for what would become a brand-new engineering discipline.

A Lasting Legacy

Professor Sargent’s ideas shaped generations of researchers and engineers. In 1989, he founded the Sargent Centre at Imperial College London and University College London to turn his vision into reality. Since then, the Centre has become a global hub of excellence, research, and innovation.

Highlights of Our Work:

  • gPROMS software – Developed by our spin-out company Process Systems Enterprise (PSE) Ltd, this tool won the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award and is now a leader in the chemical industry.
  • Three successful spin-outs
  • The Queen’s Prize for Higher Education
  • Major research grants and collaborations with industry worldwide

A Truly Multidisciplinary Team

The Sargent Centre brings together experts in:

  • Chemical Engineering
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Computer Science
  • Climate Studies

We believe real breakthroughs happen when disciplines work together. That’s why our researchers and students come from around the world and from many different fields—just as Professor Sargent envisioned.

Remembering Professor Sargent

Roger Sargent began his journey at Imperial College in 1944. Over his 50-year career, he served as:

  • Head of Chemical Engineering
  • Dean of the City and Guilds College
  • Founder of the Sargent Centre
  • President of the IChemE
  • Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering

He also mentored hundreds of students—many of whom became global leaders in academia and industry. His academic “family tree” now includes over 2,000 people.

 

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