How to Write a Reaction Engineer Resume (2026 Guide With Examples)

A reaction engineer resume that just says "responsible for reactions" gets filtered out. When recruiters screen reaction engineers, they look for one thing: can you design reactors and understand the kinetics well enough to scale up. A resume that wins interviews speaks in reactors, kinetics, and scale-up results. Here is how to write it.

What a reaction engineer must prove

• Reactors: reactors (batch/tubular/bed), selection, design, heat/mass transfer.
• Kinetics: reaction kinetics, conversion, selectivity, yield, mechanism.
• Catalysis: catalyst, activity, lifetime, regeneration, evaluation.
• Scale-up: bench, pilot, scale-up, conditions, safety.

In one line: your resume should answer "what reactors did you work on, did you nail the kinetics and catalyst, how were conversion and selectivity, and did you scale it up."

Don't just list duties, show reactors and kinetics

Use concrete outcomes and quantify them:

• ❌ "Responsible for reactions" — shows nothing.
• ✅ "Owned a reaction process — studied kinetics and catalyst, selected and designed the reactor, optimized temperature, pressure, and residence time to raise conversion and selectivity, and scaled from bench through pilot to plant" — reactors, kinetics, catalysis, and scale-up.

Things you can quantify: reactions / reactors / catalysts, conversion / selectivity / yield, temperature / pressure / residence, bench / pilot / scale-up. For methods, see how to quantify resume achievements.

How to write the skills section

Group your reaction engineering skills so a reviewer can scan them:

• Reactors: batch/tubular/fixed-bed/fluidized, selection, design, heat/mass transfer
• Kinetics: reaction kinetics, conversion, selectivity, yield, mechanism, thermal effects
• Catalysis: catalyst, activity, lifetime, regeneration, evaluation, characterization
• Scale-up: bench, pilot, scale-up, conditions, reaction safety (runaway)
• Tools: kinetic modeling, Aspen, design of experiments (DOE)

For structure, see how to list skills on a resume.

Reaction engineer vs separation engineer

These roles are both unit operations, so make your focus clear:

• Reaction engineer: owns the reaction — reactors, kinetics, catalysis, and conversion.
• Separation engineer: see how to write a separation engineer resume, owns separation — distillation/extraction, towers, and efficiency.

If you do both, say so, but lead with the reactor and kinetics depth. Related role: how to write a chemical process engineer resume. Broader: chemical engineer. Tailor to the target with how to tailor your resume to a job description.

Common mistakes

• "Responsible for reactions" with no data: no reactor, kinetics, or catalysis detail.
• No kinetics: conversion, selectivity, and kinetics are the core of reaction engineering — surface them.
• No catalysis: catalyst activity, lifetime, and evaluation show your reaction has a handle.
• No scale-up: bench, pilot, and scale-up show you go from lab to plant.
• Vague claims: "strong reaction experience" loses to "studied kinetics and catalyst, selected the reactor, raised conversion and selectivity, scaled bench to plant."

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a reaction engineer resume highlight?

Highlight reactors, reaction kinetics, catalysis, and scale-up. Use reactions/reactors/catalysts, conversion/selectivity/yield, temperature/pressure/residence, and bench/pilot/scale-up data to prove what reactors you worked on, whether you nailed the kinetics and catalyst, how conversion and selectivity were, and whether you scaled it up — not just "responsible for reactions."

How do I quantify a reaction engineer resume?

Use reactor and kinetics metrics: the reactions and catalysts, conversion, selectivity, and yield, temperature, pressure, and residence, and bench, pilot, and scale-up. For example, "studied kinetics and catalyst, selected and designed the reactor, raised conversion and selectivity, scaled bench to plant" says far more than "responsible for reactions."

Should a reaction engineer resume mention scale-up?

Yes — scale-up is the key challenge in reaction engineering. Bench results have to survive pilot and plant, so whether you can study kinetics, choose the reactor, control temperature and residence, and scale up safely is exactly what recruiters want to see. Put your reactor, kinetics, and scale-up work together, and describe outcomes honestly. An engineer who can study kinetics, design reactors, optimize catalysis, and scale up safely is worth far more than one who just "did reactions" — so make the reactors, kinetics, and scale-up concrete.

How is a reaction engineer resume different from a separation engineer's?

A reaction engineer owns the reaction — reactors, kinetics, catalysis, and conversion; a separation engineer owns separation — distillation/extraction, towers, and efficiency. A reaction resume should emphasize reactors, kinetics, catalysis, and scale-up, while a separation resume leans toward distillation/extraction, tower design, and efficiency. Different focus — tailor to the target role.

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The core of a reaction engineer resume is proving you can design reactors and understand the kinetics well enough to scale up. Speak in reactors, conversion, selectivity, catalysis, and scale-up data, lead with results, and your resume will compete. When you're done, run it through Prism Resume's free check: prismresume.com/check.