Collaboration is critical to breakthroughs in research. In the Chemistry Department, close-knit teams of faculty members and students motivate each other toward new discoveries. From studying mutated proteins that cause birth defects to creating biodegradable and green solutions for the environment, our researchers work every day on solutions that have an immediate and lasting impact on the world.
Chemistry students often tell us how much they enjoyed their research experiences. With a large faculty who are generous with their time and projects, the department offers one-of-a-kind lab opportunities for students from undergraduate through postgraduate levels. Students on small research teams enjoy a collegial community and the opportunity to build lifelong connections in the scientific world. And our students have been published in national publications, presented at conferences and even contributed their names to patents for inventions.
Our faculty each have distinct areas of expertise within the chemistry discipline, and lead research teams corresponding to their expertise. Undergraduate and graduate students are engaged collaborators in their work.
Martín Zysmilich says some techniques from virtual learning should remain in place whenever classes convene in person again. Among his favorite methods to make his students feel comfortable? Virtual appearances from his rescue dog, Lola.
Jennifer Giaccai, a PhD candidate, in the Miller Lab, combines her passion for chemistry and art as part of a research project analyzing carbon-based soot.
How do you safely design chemicals that won’t harm the environment? In her classroom and her lab, Adelina Voutchkova-Kostal promotes green chemistry principles. Her newest project may change the way scientists do business.
Chemistry’s Christopher Cahill has focused his research on some of the least-studied—and most dangerous—elements on the Periodic Table. It’s taken him from nuclear science labs to the heart of government policy-making.