Finley Irvine
Engineering with Purpose
I'm a second-year Chemical Engineering student at Rochester Institute of Technology. My coursework covers thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and organic chemistry, and I'm always looking for ways to push it further than the homework set.
That led me to build a full-stack fragrance formulation engine. The project recently earned a $1,000 endowed scholarship and spans physical chemistry, software engineering, and entrepreneurship. My process is always the same: understand the fundamentals, try, fail, learn, and iterate until I have something worth sharing.
I'm looking for a co-op where I can bring that same approach to real engineering problems.
Chemical engineering has a reputation for being less hands-on than other fields. That bothered me, so I've made a point to always have something I'm building.
What I've Built
Engineering Principles Lab
Applied experiments in rheology, fluid flow, corrosion, heat transfer, surface tension, and reaction kinetics. Independently disassembled and reassembled a fully integrated process flow cart from a self-developed schematic, including piping networks, pumps, valves, and instrumentation.
Chlorobenzene Process Model
Modeled and optimized a 25,000 t/yr chlorobenzene production process using thermodynamics, reactive mass balances, and phase equilibrium analysis. Evaluated operating conditions for economic performance and environmental impact.
Onshape 3D Project
Designed and modeled a scaled-down process flow system in Onshape featuring a mixer, evaporator, and crystallizer with connecting piping networks. Built within a 20×16 ft concrete tabletop constraint with all units under the 3 ft height limit. Includes degree of freedom analysis, stream tables, and safety/ethics considerations for real-world scale-up.
Every project here started with a question I couldn't stop thinking about. The Fragrance Engine began as "can I make scent formulation computable?" This turned into a production-grade system.
Technical Toolkit
AI & Computational Tools
Engineering Tools
Lab & Process
Working with AI on real projects forces you to learn it properly. The Fragrance Engine is LLM-assisted: I put just as much time into planning, context-gathering, and tool setup as I would on any other project. The goal is AI that works with me, not one that does my thinking.
Where I've Worked
- Managing a community of 25 residents and providing mentorship under RIT's "Live, Learn, Belong, Succeed" framework
- Coordinating and leading community-wide programs to get students connected on campus
- Founded a short-form video editing business for Instagram and TikTok
- Filmed and edited 50+ videos (~30s each) in a 2-month span using CapCut
- Drove 70,000+ total views across platforms for clients including Kate Preftakes Photography and Events by Sorrell
- Collaborated with colleagues to run 120+ activities for 40 campers over 4 summers
Both roles put me in situations where people are depending on me — residents in the middle of the night, clients with a deadline. That shows up in how I work.
What Fascinates Me
Fragrance Science
The chemistry of scent: volatility, molecular behavior, and how physical properties translate to sensory experience.
Process Optimization
Finding the most efficient path through complex systems. Chemical processes, software architecture, anything in between.
Thermodynamics
Phase equilibria, energy balances, and the fundamental rules that govern chemical systems.
Computational Tools
Building software that makes engineering intuition computable. Formulation engines, process models, things that probably shouldn't exist but do.
LLM-Assisted Engineering
Using large language models as engineering copilots for code generation, data structuring, and rapid prototyping.
Scale-Up & Formulation
Translating lab-scale prototypes into repeatable, economically viable production processes.
These aren't separate interests. Fragrance science led to the Fragrance Engine. Thermodynamics shaped my process models. AI tools let me ship all of it at a pace that shouldn't be possible for one person.
Let's Connect
I'm looking for co-op opportunities in chemical engineering and related fields. If something lines up, get in touch.