自动化系现有控制科学与工程一级学科博士点（含控制理论与控制工程、系统工程、模式识别与智能系统、检测技术与自动化装置等5个二级学科），其中自动化专业是国家级和北京市特色专业、国家一流专业；控制理论与控制工程博士点为北京市重点学科。另有控制科学与工程博士后科研流动站和一个自动化本科专业。科研机构有智能过程系统工程教育部工程研究中心、部级化工行业系统仿真工程技术中心、化工安全教育部工程研究中心、自动化研究所等科研机构。
自动化系师资力量雄厚，学术梯队合理，有双聘院士1人，博士生导师11人，教师全部具有博士学位。学科研究方向主要包括系统仿真、过程建模，石油化工过程故障安全评价与控制、先进控制、智能控制与智能系统、过程综合与过程强化、聚合过程微观质量控制及智能自动检测系统等，其中系统仿真、过程安全评价、过程强化、先进控制等方向极具特色，成果显著，处于国内前沿。
作为北京市重点学科，自动化系科研论文以及科研项目成果丰富，近些年发表SCI、EI学术论文百余篇，完成国家自然科学基金项目、国家973、863项目、省部级科研项目以及企业横向项目百余项。自动化系十分重视国际学术交流，与英国Newcastle University、加拿大Alberta University、日本早稻田大学、美国Georgia Institute of Technology、美国加州大学戴维斯分校University of California, Davis, 新竹清华大学及Honywell、Rockwell等高科技公司建立了紧密的合作关系。
The department of automation has a scientific research post-doctoral workstation on the area of control science and engineering. It is qualified to grant Ph.D. degree in control theory & control engineering (a key discipline of Beijing district), and master degree in control science & control engineering (including control theory and control engineering, measuring technology and automatic devices, systems engineering, pattern recognition and intelligent systems, and guidance, navigation and control). The automation specialty is a characteristic specialty of Beijing and national grade, and the national first-level specialty. There is also one undergraduate course in automation. The department involves two research centers of the Ministry of Education: Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Process System Engineering and Engineering Research Center of Chemical Process Safety, one research center of the former Ministry of Chemical Industry: System Simulation Technology Research Center; and one research unit of BUCT: Research Institute of Process Automation.
The department of automation has a high-qualified faculty, including one academician with double appointments, and 11 doctoral tutors. The percentage of the faculty members possessing Ph.D. degrees is 100%. The main research directions include system simulation, process modeling, process safety evaluation and control, advanced process control, intelligent control & intelligent systems, microcosmic quality control of polymerization processes, intelligent automatic measurement systems. In particular, the department has already made great achievements in the first three research directions.
The department of automation has rich achievements in terms of scientific papers and projects. Hundreds of SCI/EI papers have been published and kinds of projects have been finished, such as national natural science foundation projects, national 863 and 973 projects, province and ministry research projects, research projects from enterprises. The department of automation has maintained close cooperation with many high-level international universities and high-tech companies, such as Newcastle University of UK, Alberta University of Canada, Waseda University of Japan, Georgia Institute of Technology of US, University of California, Davis, National Tsing Hua University, Honeywell, and Rockwell, etc.