Self-assembly is a route to processing of chemical products that relies on information content built into the process precursors. The bonding mechanisms of self-assembled products are weaker than the electronic bonds of molecules; the complexity built into self-assembled products is at the level of supermolecular structure. Self-assembly processes may be spontaneous or directed by the influence of templates or fields. Self-assembly occurs frequently in biology but translating that bioinspiration to controllable chemical processing presents many interesting problems. A challenge for chemical engineers is to develop the practical routes to technologically important self-assembly processes. Applications will be to biomaterials, porous materials, molecular electronics and many other areas. Hurdles that must be overcome include the precision synthesis of precursors, mastering the kinetics and dynamics of such processes, scale-up, and the characterization and control of self-assembly products and processes. Prospects for success and current efforts in these areas will be discussed.