chemistry phd nyu

Paramjit Arora

Paramjit Arora is Professor of Chemistry at New York University. He earned his BS in 1992, from University of California, Berkeley, where he was an Undergraduate Research Assistant with Professor Richard Mathies, 1988-1992. He then proceeded to earn his Ph.D. in 1999, studying under Professor James Nowick, 1993-1999, University of California, Irvine. He worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. Peter Dervan, 1999-2002, at the California Institute of Technology.

Professor Arora’s research group applies principles of physical organic chemistry to molecular recognition and catalysis. They explore peptides and peptidomimetics to target biomolecular complexes and design organocatalysts for amide bond formation.

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Global PhD Student Fellowship in Chemistry

The NYU Abu Dhabi Global PhD Student Fellowship in Chemistry is offered in collaboration with the Graduate School of Arts and Science at NYU New York.

The program generally involves one to two years of classwork at NYU New York, followed by three to four years of research at NYU Abu Dhabi. If selected, the doctorate is fully funded under the NYU Abu Dhabi Global PhD Student Fellowship.

Key Features of the Fellowship

• New York University degree upon graduation
• Access to the extraordinary resources of the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science
• Graduate coursework in New York
• Cutting-edge research opportunities in NYU Abu Dhabi’s labs
• Tuition, fees, and health insurance provided throughout the program
• Generous research assistantship and stipend provided by NYU Abu Dhabi throughout the program
• Assistance for degree-related travel between Abu Dhabi and New York
• Campus accommodation at no cost in Abu Dhabi
• A contribution toward accommodation costs in New York
• Career development assistance at both campuses

Interested in Applying?

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Learn How to Apply

The applications for Fall 2024 are now closed. Applications will re-open for Fall 2025 in September.

Our Research

See where you can do chemistry research at NYU Abu Dhabi.

Science at NYU Abu Dhabi

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NYU New York Graduate Program in Chemistry

Graduate student highlights.

More Than Just Research Work

Wegood Awad, NYU Abu Dhabi global PhD fellow in chemistry, shows how her graduate studies went beyond lab work and publications.

Strong Relationships and Communication

"I absolutely loved exploring New York during my free time, but my favorite part of my time at NYU Abu Dhabi has been the richness of our Chemistry department."

Endless Opportunities as a Graduate Student at NYUAD

The rich resources available to graduate students at NYU Abu Dhabi gave Tina Skorjanc access to travel grants, and support for her dissertation and research work.

“The projects he chooses in his lab are always so unique”

Marieh Handawi works alongside her mentor studying some of the world’s most fascinating crystals alongside one of the world’s leading chemists.

A Chance to Create My Own Path

Alumni Jad Mahmoud Halabi talks about his choice to come back to NYU Abu Dhabi for a PhD.

It's All About the Chemistry

Everyone contributes to the overall lab experience: principal investigator and researchers.

For more information about our programs, please contact  [email protected] .

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Funding Packages for Full-Time PhD Students

If you are accepted as a full-time NYU Steinhardt PhD student, you are eligible for our generous funding package, which includes a stipend, scholarship, and healthcare coverage. Information is below and on our doctoral funding website. 

Funding Opportunities

The Steinhardt Fellowship Program

The standard Steinhardt Fellowship package includes an annual stipend, tuition remission for required course work, and student health insurance through your fifth year. The fellowship is reserved for full-time doctoral students. The 2024-2025 stipend is $33,867. Complete details are provided with each offer of admission.

Research Assistantships

Some doctoral students may be appointed to a Research Assistantship. Research Assistants are funded by external grants and work with a principal investigator on a funded research project. Unlike Steinhardt Fellows, Research Assistants agree to work 20 hours per week on an ongoing research project, typically with a team of faculty and other students. Research Assistants may not perform additional work assignments such as teaching or grading.

For the duration of the assistantship, Research Assistants receive funding that includes a stipend, tuition remission for required course work, and student health insurance.

Other Expenses to Consider

Beyond what is covered by your Steinhardt Fellowship or Research Assistantship, you may have additional expenses that you should keep in mind as you plan your budget. These may include, but are not limited to:

• Late registration fees
• Tuition for undergraduate courses
• Tuition for graduate courses not applicable to your degree
• Tuition for courses in excess of the total point requirement for your degree
• Tuition for courses completed after the end of the fifth year
• Tuition for courses and fees used to maintain official enrollment for study leading to a degree after the end of the fifth year; see doctoral student policies for more information
• Student health insurance for students beyond the fifth year (note that students who are employed by NYU, such as Research Assistants or Adjunct Instructors, may receive health insurance as an employee benefit)

Chemistry (BA)

Program description, departmental objectives, general information, research opportunities, honors program.

The Department of Chemistry has a long tradition in the College of Arts and Science, dating back well before the founding of the American Chemical Society at New York University in 1876. Professor John W. Draper, the first president of the society and chair of the department, was a remarkable polymath: chemist, physician, philosopher, historian, and pioneering photographer.

The department has undertaken a major development plan, strengthening its faculty, instructional laboratories, course offerings, and research facilities in the areas of physical, biophysical, bioorganic, and biomedical chemistry, as well as in chemical biology, nanoscience, and materials sciences. Qualified undergraduates are strongly encouraged to participate in research as early as their sophomore year of study. The department houses state-of-the-art laboratory facilities for its undergraduate chemistry courses.

Majoring in chemistry at NYU provides strong preparation for graduate study in chemistry and biochemistry; professional education in medicine, dentistry, or patent law; and careers in industrial or pharmaceutical chemistry and biotechnology.

Chemistry is an incredibly broad field. It is known as the central natural science because it intersects with physics, biology, engineering, materials science, and environmental science. The atomic and molecular structure and properties of matter are fundamental to the investigation of the physical world and to the understanding of living systems. Our chemistry program has an interdisciplinary approach that creates context for studying real-world problems and their solutions.

The department offers majors in chemistry, biochemistry, and global public health/science with a concentration in chemistry. Students have the opportunity to earn either a B.A. or B.S. in the chemistry major. A selection of elective advanced courses, undergraduate and graduate, can be combined (in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies) to provide a broad, varied program of study in chemistry or an undergraduate specialization in organic, biochemical, physical, or theoretical chemistry. The opportunity to participate in scientific research as an undergraduate is one of the most exciting features of a chemistry major. Research allows you to work alongside graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty to develop new ideas to solve real-world problems and make new discoveries. Many of our students produce results that lead to publications and research is also a great preparation for graduate school and a wide range of chemistry careers.

The programs of study in chemistry and biochemistry prepare students for graduate study leading to careers in research, development, and teaching and/or for further study in areas such as medicine, dentistry, basic medical sciences, and allied health fields (including forensic science). In addition, the chemistry and biochemistry majors both prepare students for alternative careers, especially when paired with a minor in economics, data science, or business studies: for example, patent law, technology investment, or management in the chemical industry.

For Majors in Chemistry and Biochemistry

Students considering a major in chemistry or biochemistry are strongly urged to seek course advisement from the undergraduate academic team as early in their academic careers as possible. Chemistry is a sequential subject with courses building on earlier courses. Delay in taking certain key prerequisite courses can make it impossible to complete a major in four years without summer attendance.

Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses required for the chemistry or biochemistry major, even if they are in other departments (such as mathematics or physics). Students who do not have an average of 2.0 or better in courses required by the department by the time they have completed 64 points in all courses will be asked to change their major.

The Department of Chemistry strictly enforces all prerequisites and de-enrolls students from courses for which they do meet the prerequisites. Prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C (not C minus) or better.

AP, IB, and A Level credit by examination in chemistry is not accepted toward any departmental majors or minors.

The department endeavors to make research opportunities available during the summer and the academic year to well-qualified students at all levels. We encourage interested students to begin research as early as freshman or sophomore year. Students are encouraged to apply for the FAST and DURF grants awarded by the College. To participate in research in the department, students must meet any prerequisites and register for the research courses Advanced Independent Study and Research (CHEM-UA 997, 998) or, if eligible, Senior Honors in Chemistry (CHEM-UA 995, 996). In either case, permission of the director of undergraduate studies is required before registering for these courses.

While the Department of Chemistry has several accelerated courses—for example, CHEM-UA 129 Accelerated General Chemistry and CHEM-UA 227 Majors Organic Chemistry I & Laboratory and CHEM-UA 228 Majors Organic Chemistry II & Laboratory —these offerings need not be taken to earn a chemistry or biochemistry degree with departmental honors. The main requirement for earning an honors degree is the completion of an honors thesis based upon independent experimental or theoretical research. Students interested in research and an honors degree must enroll in CHEM-UA 995 Senior Honors in Chem and CHEM-UA 996 . Students must first become involved in research, CHEM-UA 997 Adv Independent Study & Research or CHEM-UA 998 Adv Independent Study & Research for at least one semester or one summer prior to the senior year, as two semesters of research are generally not enough time to execute a successful project. Students seeking entry into the honors program must obtain the approval of the director of undergraduate studies prior to the end of their junior year. Candidates for a degree with honors in chemistry must have an overall GPA of 3.65 and a GPA of 3.65 in all required courses for the chemistry or biochemistry major. A senior thesis based on this work must be prepared, approved by the adviser, and presented in a seminar format during the spring term of the senior year. Please contact Carol Hollingsworth, academic program administrator, or Professor Walters, director of undergraduate studies, for more detailed information.

New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU.  For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply . 

Program Requirements

Program notes.

The major in chemistry builds on a core of required courses in chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

Note: Biology is not required for any major or minor offered by the Department of Chemistry, but only for the pre-health program.

The foreign language requirement is satisfied upon successful completion through the Intermediate level of a language. This may be accomplished in fewer than 16 credits, but those credits must then be completed as elective credit.

When offered, the one-semester CHEM-UA 129 Accelerated General Chemistry may substitute for the CHEM-UA 125 General Chemistry I & Laboratory , CHEM-UA 126 General Chemistry II & Laboratory sequence.

Or Advanced Placement (or equivalent international exam) credit.

Advanced Placement credit for MATH-UA 122 Calculus II (a score of 5 on BC Calculus) is not accepted for this major requirement. Students with this AP credit must either (1) take Calculus II at NYU and forfeit 4 of the 8 AP credits, or (2) register for one of the following: CHEM-UA 140 Mathematics of Chemistry , MATH-UA 123 Calculus III , or MATH-UA 140 Linear Algebra , using the BC credits as a prerequisite.

Credit for AP Physics C: Mechanics with a score of 4 or 5 is accepted, but only for students who are not prehealth. No other AP or equivalent international credit is accepted. Because of medical, dental, etc. school admissions requirements, students on the prehealth track cannot use AP Physics C credit to place out of either or both semesters of General Physics.

Credit for AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism with a score of 4 or 5 is accepted, but only for students who are not prehealth. No other AP or equivalent international credit is accepted. Because of medical, dental, etc. school admissions requirements, students on the prehealth track cannot use AP Physics C credit to place out of either or both semesters of General Physics.

CHEM-UA 997 Adv Independent Study & Research , CHEM-UA 998 Adv Independent Study & Research , CHEM-UA 995 Senior Honors in Chem , CHEM-UA 996 , and CHEM-UA 140 Mathematics of Chemistry do not count as advanced electives for the major.

CHEM-UA 140 Mathematics of Chemistry is strongly recommended as preparation for both Physical Chemistry: Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy (CHEM-UA 651) and Physical Chemistry: Thermodynamics and Kinetics (CHEM-UA 652), as well as for students interested in pursuing chemistry on the graduate level or who have an interest in theoretical chemistry or physical chemistry. Students may choose instead to take Calculus III (MATH-UA 123) and/or Linear Algebra (MATH-UA 140).

Freshmen who intend to pursue a major in chemistry and are well prepared in mathematics and the physical sciences are strongly encouraged to take General Physics I and II as their second science sequence (concurrently with general chemistry) in the first year. This allows the physical chemistry courses to be taken as early as sophomore year if the mathematics prerequisites are completed. However, if students choose to take biology with chemistry in the freshman year they may wish to defer taking physics (e.g., for students who are undecided, are considering a major in biology or neural science, and/or are on the pre-health track).

The core courses listed above provide a basic background in chemistry. Students are required to complete the courses in general chemistry, physics, and calculus prior to entry into CHEM-UA 651, 652 (the physical chemistry sequence), which is usually in the third year. It is strongly advised that advanced-level chemistry course enrollment begin no later than the fifth semester of study. This allows at least three more semesters to complete all major requirements.

Students interested in careers in medicine, dentistry, or basic medical sciences may wish to consider the major in biochemistry, which recommends additional courses in biology. Together these courses satisfy admission requirements for schools of the health professions. The appropriate pre-professional adviser should be consulted for details.

Sample Plan of Study

CHEM-UA 140 Mathematics of Chemistry is recommended, but not required. Does not count toward any major requirements. May be substituted with an elective course.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of program requirements, students are expected to have acquired:

• A fundamental command of chemistry, as well as of the subdisciplines of organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry.
• Facility (via elective offerings) in analytical chemistry and/or mathematical and machine computational methods.
• Mastery of laboratory skills in organic and physical chemistry.
• Familiarity with contemporary problems in chemistry and the ability to articulate these problems and to propose well-considered solutions.

Grading and GPA Policy

Prerequisite policy, laboratory policy, nyu policies, college of arts and science policies.

The Chemistry (BA) major requires six core courses (28 credits), four mathematics and physics courses (18 credits), and four chemistry courses (16 credits) completed with a grade of C or better even if they are in other departments (such as mathematics or physics). Students who do not have an average of 2.0 or better in courses required by the department by the time they have completed 64 credits in all courses will be asked to change their major.

Due to the potential hazard of any chemical experimentation, safety goggles, laboratory coats, and other protective gear must be worn at all times in the laboratories (but cannot be worn outside the laboratory). Laboratory equipment loaned to students must be replaced if damaged or broken. Students who do not return borrowed laboratory equipment at the end of a course are charged an additional fee, and their grade may be recorded as incomplete and not released until "checkout" is completed.

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages .

A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page . 

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Ready, Set, Present! Research Assembly Pushes Limits

NYU Shanghai hosted its second annual Postdoctoral and Doctoral Research Assembly, hosted by the  Office of Graduate and Advanced Education  (OGAE) on April 18-19. The two-day assembly highlighted the research works of two postdoctoral fellows and 18 PhD students across a variety of disciplines including biology, chemistry, computer science, data science, neural science, physics, sociology, transportation systems, and urban studies.

Student research was showcased in a poster exhibition and plenary sessions of oral presentations. Each oral presentation was four minutes, followed by an additional four minutes to answer questions posed by a panel of faculty judges.

Judges determined Best Oral Presentation awardees and a large public audience making up all members of NYU Shanghai’s community voted for Audience Favorite Posters.

Dean of Graduate and Advanced Education  Eric Mao , who oversees NYU Shanghai’s master’s and doctoral programs, said the presentations were a testament to the academic rigor at the university. “I commend all the participants for their outstanding works presented, each one the product of years of intellectual inquiry questing after answers toward critical research questions,” Mao said. “They gained valuable practice in talking to audiences of specialists and non-specialists alike, and shined a light on the contributions of NYU Shanghai’s young scholar community,” 

Poster Exhibition

Post doctoral fellow Mahmuda Akter shared her work on the “Functional specifications of conserved histone variants, H2A.Z to keep genomic stability of higher eukaryotic cells.” Her research, which touches on roles of chromosomal proteins, could lead to understanding solutions for tumor suppression.

Akter said presenting her research helped her grow as a researcher. “I received some interesting questions which made me think differently about my research,” she said. “I also felt excited when a person outside of my discipline of study satisfactorily understood my research.”

Assistant Professor of Biology  Jungseog Kang , Akter’s advisor,said he’s excited for Akter to continue researching the H2AZ histone.“Her study will increase knowledge in the field and eventually provide an effective tool to stop tumors resulting from abnormal H2AZ histone,” he said..

Li Zhi, a doctoral student in Transportation Systems shared his research on “On the Value of Orderly Electric Vehicle Charging in Carbon Emission Reduction,” which addresses the issue of carbon emissions derived from charging electric vehicles. Analyzing 3,777 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) over an 11-month period, Li’s team found that BEVs produced nearly 1.2 tons of carbon emissions. As a solution, Li suggests the implementation of schedules, which could potentially reduce those emissions by up to 39%. 

Doctoral student Li Huilin shared her research at the intersection of mathematics and physics on “Optical effects from free falling plates in fluid,” which seeks to explain certain optical phenomena caused by snowflakes, providing further insights into the way snowflakes fall. 

Oral Presentations 

Xie Zhiye, a computer science doctoral student, presented his research on “Tight Time-Space Tradeoffs for the Decisional Diffie-Hellman Problem,” which offers suggestions for ensuring secure communication and the protection of data privacy online.

Xie said being recognized for his work by the judges and audience was fulfilling. “It makes me more confident about my future research,” he said, adding the experience helped him practice his presentation skills. “It's a great rehearsal for my upcoming conference talk.”

One of the judges, Professor of Practice in Computer Science  Wilson Tam  said he was impressed by Xie’s work. “Xie Zhiye's presentation provided an accessible overview of a complex cryptographic system, a topic often daunting for non-specialists,” he said.  “Through graphical illustrations, he effectively conveyed the research problem's intricacies, making it more tangible and comprehensible.

Urban Studies doctoral student Zhou Yichun presented his research on the “Classification of urban parks through visitation patterns using mobile phone data in Tokyo,” which found that a nuanced park management strategy could support the advancement of green infrastructure planning and policy.  The research team’s findings provide further insights into strategic park utility which could ensure parks remain a place for all to enjoy.

Sociology doctoral student Li Zhi presented his work on the “Perceived structural holes and reputational power in organization,” which expands upon American sociologist Ronald Stuart Burt’s research on structural holes in organizations, which are defined as  “a gap between two individuals with complementary resources or information .” Li’s presentation made suggestions for future research. 

Read on for the full list of this year’s 2nd Annual Postdoctoral and Doctoral Research Assembly awardees. 

The list of Best Oral Presentation winners is as follows:

Biology: Lyu Xiaoai, “Identification of Aneuploidy Sensing Genes.”

Chemistry: Zhao Fanyu, “Will Paxlovid stay effective against SARS-CoV-2 mutants amidst the COVID-19 pandemic?”

Computer Science: Xie Zhiye, “DL = DDH”

Neural Science: Hank Zhang, “The Brain as a Resource-Efficient Computer”

Sociology: Li Zhi, “Perceived structural holes and reputational power in organizations”

Urban Studies: Zhou Yichun, “Classification of urban parks through visitation patterns using mobile phone data in Tokyo”

The list of Audience Favorite Posters is as follows: 

Biology: Mahmuda Akter, “Functional specifications of conserved histone variants, H2A.Z to keep genomic stability of higher eukaryotic cells”

Neural Science: Gu Jintao, “Beyond neural competition, decision made via feedback”

Chemistry: Hu Shiyu, “The magic of protein engineering: less dimerization, less inflammation” 

Physics/Math: Li Huilin “Optical effects from free falling plates in fluid”

Computer Science: Chen Tianyao, “Logic-Assisted Language Model on Music”

Transportation Systems: Li Zhi  “On the Value of Orderly Electric Vehicle Charging in Carbon Emission Reduction”

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• 2024 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Awards & Honorable Mentions

Posted on April 12, 2024

Congratulations to our current graduate and undergraduate students and alumni who have received prestigious 2024 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships (GRFP) and Honorable Mentions.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support including an annual stipend and a cost of education allowance to the institution.

2024 NSF Graduate Research Fellowships (GRFP) were awarded to 2 nd year graduate students  AJ Addae  (P. Weiss),  Allison Hands (Garg), Kevin Liu (Nava) and Antonio Macias (Garcia-Garibay) and to current and former undergraduate researchers Jeff Qu (Rodriguez); Nathalie Co (’22, Diaconescu), now a graduate student at UC Berkeley; Chris La (’22, Paulson), now a graduate student at UC Berkeley; Amanda Nguyen (Schwartz), headed to Northwestern for graduate school in the fall.

2024 Honorable Mentions by NSF, also a significant national academic achievement, were accorded to 2 nd year graduate students  Pujan Ajmera (Alexandrova), Tucker Allen (Neuhauser), Elijah Biletch (Backus), Shawn Chiu (Alexandrova), Devon Stuart (Sletten), Dani Turner (Garg) and Zachary Walters (Garg) and current and former undergraduate researchers Hannah Hunter (R. Tripati); Sophia Westerkamp (E.D. Young Laboratory); Lianne Alson (Caram), headed to Stanford for graduate school in the fall; Kyle Anderson (’24, C. Clarke), headed to UC Berkeley for graduate school in the fall; Brock Hosier (Maynard), headed to Princeton for graduate school next year.

Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, [email protected] .

International chemistry grad finds community in ASU peers

ASU School of Molecular Sciences chemistry graduate Bryan Kah Jhun Lau. Courtesy photo

Editor’s note:  This story is part of a series of profiles of  notable spring 2024 graduates .

Bryan Kah Jhun Lau moved half way across the world to pursue a dream. 

With a unique fascination for chemical reactions and a dedicated interest in becoming a chemist, Lau made the decision to leave his family and hometown of Rawang, an hour drive north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, to study at Arizona State University. 

“I wanted to explore opportunities in another country and I knew that there were more opportunities for chemistry majors in the (United) States compared to back in Malaysia,” said Lau who is graduating in spring 2024 with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. 

“For me, getting an education here where a lot of chemical companies are established and then trying my best to get into career opportunities here, I knew it would be beneficial for my career development,” he said.

Since Lau arrived in 2021 at ASU, he’s thrived. 

For the past two years in addition to completing his intensive academic coursework he’s interned as an analytical chemist  for EMD Electronics, gaining confidence to use a wide range of analytical tools in a fast-paced industry setting, and has been awarded both the ASU New American University Scholarship and the prestigious, Arizona Society for Coatings Technology Scholarship for his academic and community contributions. 

Outside of the classroom, Lau credits the community he’s built through ASU student organizations including Asian-Asian Pacific American Students' Coalition, the Coalition of International Students, and the Malaysia Students Association for providing him with a supportive space to flourish.

“Thank you to everyone for your support whenever I needed it,” Lau said. “To the Asian-Asian Pacific American Students' Coalition executive board, thank you for giving me a chance to be a part of the group because I really enjoy the camaraderie, and to all my family and friends, thank you for your support of my studies here at ASU.” 

Lau answers a few questions about his time at ASU:

Question: What was your “aha” moment when you realized you wanted to study chemistry?

Answer: I started learning chemistry when I was in high school. Both my high school chemistry teacher and a tutor taught me chemistry so well that I found it really interesting. Learning chemical reactions, reaction mechanisms, and learning how molecules react with one another got me interested in the field.

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: My junior year, Professor Alexandra Ros was my analytical chemistry lab instructor and one of the most important skills I’ve learned from her is to always take detailed notes when conducting experiments. At the beginning of the lab course, I failed to do that. Now, when working in the lab my notes are more detailed than ever. 

Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?

A: I noticed early on that students in class loved to actively participate in discussions. In Malaysia that was not the case. Seeing so many people participating in class discussions is definitely a good thing and helped stimulate my own critical thinking. I found it to be a really interesting experience. 

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: Don’t be afraid to always reach out for help. Professors are generally very helpful if you have something you don't know. They have office hours so that you can reach out to them for help.

For international students, reach out, find a support system, and ask for help too. For example, I came from Malaysia, so I reached out to the Malaysia Students Association at ASU. They were a great support system and really helpful. When I first started settling here in ASU they kindly answered my questions and helped me to navigate ASU’s campus, to navigate the new culture here, and navigate the new life here.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: Recently, what’s become my favorite spot during my senior year, is right outside the Asian-Asian Pacific American Students Coalition office on the second floor of the student pavilion. People would generally hang out there, so it was a good spot to talk to friends and make new friends. 

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I plan to explore opportunities with my chemistry background. My dream has always been to become a chemist and work in the lab. I'm open to either going to research in the industry or going into quality control and being an analytical chemist. Whether it's research or going into quality control, I will see if any of the opportunities open for me and I’ll go for it.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I would tackle the lack of access to education because education is important. I think it's important for everyone to have access to education so that it equips them with skills and gets them ready to face the world’s challenges. 

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Chemistry Graduate Student Tiffany Sill Receives P.E.O. Scholar Award

April 3, 2024 By Shana K. Hutchins

Tiffany Sill ’22, a Ph.D. candidate and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the  Department of Chemistry  at Texas A&M University, has been selected to receive a 2024 P.E.O. Scholar Award from the P.E.O. Sisterhood in support of her research and doctoral studies.

Sill, who is pursuing an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry as a member of Texas A&M chemist   Dr. Sarbajit Banerjee's  research  group, is one of 100 doctoral students across the United States and Canada honored with the prestigious $20,000 award, which was established in 1991 to provide substantial, merit-based support  for deserving women in doctoral-level programs . Scholar Award recipients are a select group of women chosen for their high level of academic excellence and achievement and their potential for positive societal impact.

Women studying in any field, including medicine, law or scientific research, are eligible to apply. In order to be  be considered for the award, applicants must be selected by a local P.E.O. chapter to advance to the national competition. Sill was sponsored by the College Station-based Chapter EQ.

A f irst-generation student and a mom of three who is originally from Grand Canyon, Ariz., Sill graduated  summa cum laude  with a bachelor of science in chemistry from California State University San Bernardino prior to coming to Texas A&M in August 2020. As an undergraduate, she created and implemented a STEM program that brought science into an afterschool program for underprivileged children in the heart of San Bernardino. In 2021, she was one of 10 students nationwide selected to attend the  United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change 26th Conference of Parties (COP26)  as a student representative of the American Chemical Society.

Sill's dissertation research within the Banerjee Group focuses on underpinning key design principles for informed design approaches in various energy-relevant materials, deciphering corrosion resistance mechanisms in polyetherimide coatings and engineering nanocomposite coatings to active multiple modes of protection simultaneously. Banerjee credits her for helping to advance the framework of generalizable design principles, identify selective ion sequestration and mass transport phenomena in macromolecular networks, and increase the performance and longevity of protective coatings through mechanistic understanding.

"Tiffany has persisted in STEM despite long odds, driven by nothing short of an incredible passion, a burning desire to be a role model to the broader community and a deep wellspring of taking joy in discovery," Banerjee added. "In the four years that she has spent in my laboratory, she has dazzled in every way."

The P.E.O. Sisterhood, founded January 21, 1869, at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, is a philanthropic educational organization dedicated to supporting higher education for women. There are approximately 6,000 local chapters in the US and Canada with nearly a quarter of a million active members.

Learn more about P.E.O.   or   graduate studies in chemistry   at Texas A&M.

Tiffany has persisted in STEM despite long odds, driven by nothing short of an incredible passion, a burning desire to be a role model to the broader community and a deep wellspring of taking joy in discovery. In the four years that she has spent in my laboratory, she has dazzled in every way.

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Analytical chemistry graduate students land highly competitive fellowships to fund electrochemistry research

Writer(s): Steve Scherer

Purdue Chemistry graduate students Brady Layman and Megan Hill.

Two Department of Chemistry graduate students have been awarded prestigious national fellowships to continue their chemistry graduate research.

Brady Layman was selected for two highly competitive awards: the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP).

Megan Hill was awarded the selective University Nuclear Leadership Program (UNLP) Fellowship funded by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy.

Both are graduate students in Professor Jeffrey Dick’s electrochemistry lab where the group specializes in making the immeasurable measurable.

Layman will apply NDSEG funding to continue his investigation of complex microdroplet samples using electrochemiluminescence (ECL).

“I produce photons out of my reactions, without the need for incoming light into the systems. So, when I’m doing an experiment, I’m in total darkness,” explained Layman, a second-year graduate student from Gresham, Oregon.

Through a combination of electrical and chemical reactions, photons ‘light up’ Layman’s ECL emulsion samples allowing him to manipulate and study microdroplet reactions at the nanoscale.

Jeffrey Dick, Richard B. Wetherill Associate Professor of Chemistry, says the goal is to study whether the chemistry is different within these tiny volumes, along with developing measurement tools to analyze single droplets, one at a time.

“What Brady is doing is finding ways of generating light using electricity on a conductive interface to give us information about the curious chemistry occurring in and around those tiny volumes,” Dick explained.

Chemistry graduate student Brady Layman uses an optical microscope and a scanning electrochemical microscope in Professor Jeffrey Dick's electrochemistry lab located inside Purdue University's Brown Laboratory building.

A core focus of Professor Dick’s research group is the development of new electrochemical tools and methods to study chemistry in environments that are otherwise nearly impossible to study.

Megan Hill will apply her UNLP funding to forge new microscale electroanalytical measurement techniques to advance nuclear fuel reprocessing.

“Electrochemistry is critical for solving a lot of our future energy needs, and my ultimate goal in graduate school is to do research that helps make nuclear fuel more sustainable. One way to reprocess nuclear fuel is through pyroprocessing,” said Hill, a first-year graduate student from San Diego, California.

Pyrochemical reprocessing separates actinides, such as uranium and plutonium, from used nuclear fuel using a series of electrochemical operations in high-temperature molten salts.

“A big portion of Megan’s proposal is developing the tools we commonly use in electrochemistry now and adapting them to be used in high-temperature environments that can sometimes exceed 800°C. So, there will need to be quite a bit of innovation to make highly quantitative measurements in these environments,” explained Dick.

Chemistry graduate student Megan Hill uses a glove box in Professor Jeffrey Dick's electrochemistry lab located inside Purdue University's Brown Laboratory building.

Hill’s UNLP fellowship provides three years of funding to support graduate research relevant to nuclear energy and includes an internship at a DOE national laboratory.

Layman’s NDSEG fellowship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, provides funding for three years, covering full tuition and all mandatory fees along with a monthly stipend and travel funding for professional development.

About Analytical Chemistry at Purdue

Housed in the Department of Chemistry in the College of Science , Purdue University’s analytical chemistry program is ranked No. 1 in the latest U.S. News & World Report graduate program . The Purdue program also remains one of the world’s largest, with 16 faculty members and more than 100 graduate students.

How the Columbia protests sparked campus demonstrations across the country

It just added fuel to the fire.

The decision by Columbia University’s president, Nemat “Minouche” Shafik, to call in the New York Police Department to clear pro-Palestinian protesters from the campus last week appears to have sparked the spate of increasingly strident demonstrations that have erupted at universities in New York City and across the country in recent days, students and faculty members said.

Since Thursday, when police arrested 108 Columbia University demonstrators, including Rep. Ilhan Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, similar protests have erupted on campuses across the country, from New York University and Yale University to the University of Illinois and out west to the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Southern California, which shut its gates late Wednesday because of the growing demonstrations.

The encampment at Columbia sprung up April 17, the day Shafik was grilled about on-campus antisemitism by the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Shafik faced questions about her handling of antisemitism on campus after Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7 alongside two members of Columbia’s Board of Trustees and the head of its antisemitism task force. The next day, Shafik had police clear the encampment; more than 100 protesters were arrested.

That got Rachel, 19, a Columbia student who asked to be identified only by her first name because of fear of retaliation or suspension by the school, off the fence and into one of the tents that pro-Palestinian demonstrators had raised on the campus in upper Manhattan.

“I think that that was sort of the straw that broke the camel’s back, because students had already been feeling incredibly suppressed and censored by President Shafik,” Rachel said.

Noting that the last time a Columbia University president summoned the police to disperse student demonstrators was back in 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, Rachel said what she called Shafik’s attempt to intimidate them was backfiring.

“Movements inherently boil when they’re facing extra suppression,” she said.

The Columbia students protesting the war have demanded that the school cut financial ties with Israel and divest from Israeli companies. And they have inspired students across the country to do the same.

“This is about solidarity," said Alex, a Jewish student at the University of Michigan who is part of the pro-Palestinian movement and asked to be identified only by his first name out of fear of retaliation. "We have colleges all across the nation performing a synchronized act because we work together. This is a collective movement far beyond the United States."

Organizers say they were also inspired by protests against the apartheid government of South Africa that an earlier generation of Michigan students took part in.

“It’s never been bigger than it is right now,” said a masked male organizer, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation. “We’ve seen that this has been effective in achieving concessions from the administration towards divestment from Israel, apartheid and genocide.”

But it has also sparked a backlash, particularly from politicians on the right who have been urging university administrators to crack down hard on the protesters.

"You have to have law and order on campus," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told NBC News' Stephanie Gosk after he met with Jewish students at Columbia. "Listen, taxpayer funding comes to institutions like this. The American people are demanding that we bring order to this chaos. We have this kind of thing mushrooming around the country right now."

Encampments have continued on Columbia's campus into this week, with Shafik calling for classes to be held virtually Monday and initially giving the demonstrators a deadline of midnight Tuesday to fold up their tents and disperse before she announced that conversations would continue over the next 48 hours without forcing the encampment to be removed.

“We are making important progress with representatives of the student encampment on the West Lawn,” a college spokesperson said.

Marianne Hirsch, a Columbia University English professor, said Shafik has been "squashing peaceful protest, squashing open debate, not allowing students to express their opinions and debate their opinions."

And the fact that Shafik summoned the police last Thursday, a day after she was questioned at the congressional hearing, is no coincidence, she said.

"I’m extremely concerned about antisemitism my entire life, and I’m extremely distressed right now to see how antisemitism is being weaponized and used, misused ... under the guise of safety and security," Hirsch, whose parents were Holocaust survivors, said Tuesday.

Later, Hirsch said she “cannot but agree this is motivated by trying to pacify congressional members who are trying to interfere in the running of this school.”

Early Monday, Shafik said that classes would be held virtually Monday and that school leaders would come together to discuss a way to bring an end to “this crisis.”

Several Jewish students at Columbia have told NBC News the antisemitism they experienced was very real and that they're steering clear of the campus for their own safety.

“The tension is so high,” said Itai Dreifuss, 25, a junior and an Israeli who says he has been spat on and taunted by campus protesters waving Hamas flags. “It’s definitely frustrating to be a part of this campus right now. You feel so helpless, and you feel so exposed.”

Speaking with reporters, Johnson said he heard that Jewish students had been "running for their lives."

Gosk challenged that assertion, telling Johnson that while some Jewish students she spoke with "are certainly afraid for their safety," they are "not running for their lives."

"I had standing room only with a house full of Jewish students talking about the intimidation and threats that they experienced," Johnson replied.

Sueda, a graduate student who helped organize the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia and asked to be identified only by her first name to avoid reprisals, said students escalated pressure on the university and started the tent encampments after previous forms of protest did not lead to the intended results.

"Have those protests yielded any material results from the university? Have they yielded an acknowledgment of the pain felt by Palestinians and by the community that is in solidarity with them? Have they yielded any statements of sorrow or regret by the university for their overly punitive treatment of pro-Palestinian students? No," she said.

Oren Root, a longtime New York City lawyer and Columbia University graduate who was at the school when anti-Vietnam War protests rocked it in 1968, said Shafik's summoning of police was "an extraordinary miscalculation."

"President Shafik and her advisers clearly didn't learn from history," said Root, who was a top editor at The Spectator, the Columbia student newspaper, in 1968 and 1969. “Calling in the cops was clearly a mistake. Things have not gotten any calmer.”

The decision in 1968 by university President Grayson Kirk to have the police forcibly remove protesters from the buildings they were occupying only inflamed the situation and tarnished Columbia's reputation for many years, Root said.

Root, who called for Shafik's resignation in an opinion piece in The Spectator on Monday , said Columbia also appears to have chosen a side in the Gaza battle.

In response, a spokesperson for Shafik did not address Root's criticisms or the calls for her resignation.

"President Shafik is focused on deescalating the rancor on Columbia’s campus," the spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. "She is working across campus with members of the faculty, administration, and Board of Trustees, and with state, city, and community leaders, and appreciates their support."

New York police also arrested more than 100 protesters at NYU's Gould Plaza on Monday night.

Pro-Palestinian encampments have also been established at other schools that have been the sites of anti-Israel demonstrations, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.

New York Mayor Eric Adams said this week he believed "outside agitators" were using the Israel-Hamas war as an excuse to cause violence and mayhem in the city.

“We can’t have outside agitators come in and be destructive to our city," Adams said at a news conference Tuesday. "Someone wanted something to happen at that protest at NYU."

It was not clear how many of those arrested at Columbia were students and how many were outsiders. Police did not respond to two requests for comment on the arrests.

Meanwhile, a group of 25 Senate Republicans sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking the Biden administration to address the protests across the nation.

“These pro-Hamas rioters have effectively shut down college campuses and have literally chased Jewish students away from our schools," the letter read. "You need to take action to restore order and protect Jewish students on our college campuses."

The letter did not ask Garland to take steps to protect the pro-Palestinian protesters.

Doha Madani is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News. Pronouns: she/her.

Selina Guevara is an NBC News associate producer, based in Chicago.

Corky Siemaszko is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital.