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.
"Professor Houston Miller saw my passion and commitment for research and cultivated and supported it."
Carly Filgueira
BS ’03
2018 Seminar Speaker
Nathan Banek
Postdoctoral Scientist
Wagner lab
Aaron Nicholas
Postdoctoral Scientist
Cahill Lab
Felipe Montecinos Franjola
Postdoctoral Scientist
Rodriguez Lab
Juan Vicini
Research Assistant
Licht Lab
Xirui Wang
Postdoctoral Scientist
Licht Lab
Chemistry Researchers Develop Tool for Safer Pesticides
Researchers at GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS) have developed a new computational approach to rapidly screen pesticides for safety, performance and how long they endure in the environment. The new approach will aid in the design of next-generation molecules to develop safer pesticides. Jakub Kostal, an assistant professor of chemistry, is the principal investigator on the project.
Green Chemistry Forges Path Forward
Adelina Voutchkova-Kostal, an associate professor of chemistry and co-director of GW’s Environmental Green Chemistry Graduate Program, is taking the lead to address challenges in the classroom and through her National Science Foundation-funded research to devise an environmentally safe process for converting wood into chemicals.
