phd in chemistry ireland

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Phd chemistry.

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Qualification : PHILOSOPHIAE DOCTOR DEGREE

Award Type and NFQ level : RESEARCH PH.D. (10)

CAO/PAC code : MHE02 (FT), MHE03 (PT)

CAO Points :

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• Entry Requirements
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The Department of Chemistry is committed to providing excellence in teaching, research and in the training of PhD students. Our aim is to provide graduate students with every opportunity to enhance and develop their career, by providing good supervision, training in research methodology and associated professional skills; all of which will prepare them for their subsequent career.

The main objective of this programme is to provide graduate students with an integrated broad-based training in the discipline of chemistry including the most advanced research methodology in physical, organic, inorganic and analytical chemistry.

There are three main educational elements to the chemistry structured PhD programme, namely: (1) Research Work, (2) Education Courses in Chemistry and (3) Professional Training. Details of the Programme are provided in the Departmental Postgraduate Student Handbook (for Candidates Completing a PhD Degree in Chemistry) which is available through the Department.

Closing date Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences September (or other agreed time)

Candidates for a PhD degree will normally be expected to have a Second Class Honours Grade 1 primary degree in Chemistry, or a relevant discipline. Applicants must have a recognised primary degree which is considered equivalent to Irish university primary degree level.

Minimum English language requirements: Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study. For information about English language tests accepted and required scores, please see here . The requirements specified are applicable for both EU and International applicants..

Maynooth University's TOEFL code is 8850

Current Research Areas  https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/chemistry/our-research

Current Research Areas  https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/chemistry/our-research - BioAnalytics and Neuroscience - Electrochemistry, Sensors and Materials Chemistry - Physical Chemistry of Low Temperature Materials and Biomolecules - Bioinorganic & Medicinal Chemistry - Synthetic & Mechanistic Organic Chemistry - Pharmaceutical Chemistry - Environmental & Green Chemistry

In addition to the traditional research topic, students take a minimum of 30 credits over the four-year programme. These credits are divided between transferable and chemistry-specific course material, as detailed below. The modules are assigned a level, with Level 1 corresponding to postgraduate level in the first year of study, and Level 2 indicating a more advanced and specialised topic, suitable for PhD students in the second, third and fourth years of study.

The knowledge gained through the study of chemistry opens many career pathways, including, but not limited to, chemistry, medicine, law, business, chemical physics, environmental science, and teaching. The American Chemical Society (www.acs.org) and Royal Society of Chemistry (www.rsc.org/gateway/subject/careers) maintain career services web pages which have information about careers in chemistry.

Online application only   www.pac.ie/maynoothuniversity

PAC Code MHE02 Full-time MHE03 Part-time The following information should be forwarded to PAC, 1 Courthouse Square, Galway or uploaded to your online application form:

Certified copies of all official transcripts of results for all non-Maynooth University qualifications listed MUST accompany the application. Failure to do so will delay your application being processed. Non-Maynooth University students are asked to provide two academic references and a copy of birth certificate or valid passport.

UCC University College Cork

School of chemistry scoil na ceimic.

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School of Chemistry

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The School of Chemistry at University College Cork has a strong research tradition and is an excellent place to pursue an advanced-level degree in chemistry. These are exciting times in the school. We have expanded considerably over the last few years with the addition of new academic staff as well as new and upgraded facilities and equipment. With a massive increase in research funding and the strong emphasis now being placed on science and technology, Ireland at this time is an excellent place to pursue an advanced degree.

‌Our academic staff are active researchers and are seeking to push back the boundaries of knowledge in their respective fields. The School is well represented in the four traditional areas of chemistry; inorganic, organic, analytical, and physical, where we have strong research groups. At the same time, we are carrying out productive interdisciplinary research and have strong collaborations across other scientific disciplines and research institutes at UCC.

Opportunities for postgraduate MSc Research or PhD studies at UCC or abroad are enormous. We have one of the largest postgraduate schools in UCC. It has established an international reputation in many areas of research, and staff members have received international recognition in their fields. Many graduate level training and research links have been established with local, national and international industry and other departments and research centres in UCC.

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Postgraduate doctoral degrees.

Students who excel in their undergraduate studies and enjoy their experience of research during their undergraduate training may want to continue their education by pursuing a PhD degree. Doctoral research allows students to probe a scientific problem at a very deep level and make an original contribution to advancing knowledge in a particular field. During the doctorate, which typically takes three to four years, students will be exposed to and use a wide range of scientific techniques that they learned about during their undergraduate studies, get practice in analysing their data, and gain the valuable experience of writing a PhD thesis and publishing their results in the scientific literature. It is also the time when young scientists learn to work independently, develop their skills in setting up and carrying out experiments, and hone their scientific intuition.

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The School of Chemical Sciences houses a suite of state-of-the-art research equipment including high resolution electron microscopy and a range of both mass and magnetic resonance spectrometers. It is one of the most successful Chemistry Schools in Ireland for attracting large-scale research funding, with our researchers having significant roles within a number of recently established, nationally significant research centres, including pharmaceutical science, biomedical diagnostics, biofermentation process analysis, separation science, and marine monitoring.

Research Themes

The School of Chemical Sciences is a research intensive department with three primary themes (T1 - T3) that span key areas of research of national and international significance. These include climate and environmental research, nanomaterials and devices, and therapeutics and diagnostics. Underpinning these three themes lies core academic expertise in the areas of synthetic, medicinal, physical, nanomaterials, bioinorganic, and  analytical chemistry. To learn more about our activities and the researchers involved in each theme click on the images below.       

T1: Climate Action: Energy, Water & Sustainability

The School of Chemical Science hosts an array of environmental research relating to climate, water, soil, atmospheric science, chemical ecology, green technology and pollution. Much research is based on analytical method development and the development of intelligent analysis tools to monitor and improve our environment. For example, novel materials are developed for the extraction and enrichment of analytes and the removal of pollutants from industrial waste water streams and sensors are designed and deployed to monitor marine and freshwater conditions. Technology to detect emerging contaminants in air, water and soil such as phthalates are developed by multiple research groups within the School. An umbrella for much is this research is provided by the Water Institute ( https://dcuwater.ie/ ).

Marine and terrestrial ecosystem health is investigated through innovative approaches such as the combination of analytical chemistry with state of the art geographical surveys. This technological approach is employed to study areas such as soil and pollinator health. We study the atmosphere through aerosol characterisation and investigations of the contents of the air we breathe. Ongoing research seeks to breakdown greenhouse gases such as CO 2 for use and we develop green technology that enables industry to be more sustainable. Carbon is essential for life and has many forms in nature. We study carbon in soil, water and coastal sediments and employ novel approaches to investigate subjects such as past environments on Earth, the recycling of waste and the search for extra-terrestrial life.

T1 Researchers:

(in alphabetical order)

Assoc. Prof. Brian Kelleher :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/brian-kelleher
• https://www.dcu.ie/predict/index.shtml

Asst. Prof. Nessan Kerrigan :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/nessan-kerrigan
• https://kerriganchemistry.com/

Assoc. Prof. Kieran Nolan :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/kieran-nolan

Asst. Prof. David O'Connor :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/david-oconnor

Prof. Mary Pryce :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/mary-pryce

Prof. Fiona Regan :

• https://dcuwater.ie/
• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/fiona-regan

Prof. Blánaid White :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/blanaid-white

Climate Research in Ireland with Dr Brian Kelleher

T2: Advanced Materials & Devices

The SCS supports a wealth of research in the area of advanced materials and their integration into devices designed for environmental and health diagnostic applications. Bioinspired material design and supramolecular chemistry are strong themes within the School where diverse materials science is applied for example to design responsive biointerfaces for sensor and drug delivery platforms, catalytic materials for energy production and luminescent probes for high precision cellular targeting and imaging.

The SCS plays a key role in the National Centre for Sensor Research ( www.ncsr.ie ) at DCU which brings together advanced materials science research activity together with other Schools with the objective of meeting sensor design challenges such as integration of sensing interfaces with functions such as fluidic handling, engineering architectures and properties in novel materials for biosensor and bioelectronic applications, as well as meeting device sensitivity challenges related to analyte detection in marine water for example and early detection of disease biomarkers in blood.

Broader than this, the SCS hosts funded materials chemistry research programmes centred around topics including the engineering of nano- and micro-patterns of soft polymers with responsive properties, the synthesis and photochemistry of materials with antimicrobial properties, conjugated polymers as hydrogen evolution catalysts, the design of carbon nano-onions for catalytic and sensing applications, and electrode material design for wireless electrochemiluminescence and cell stimulation.

T2 Researchers:

Asst. Prof. Ruairí Brannigan :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/ruairi-brannigan

Asst. Prof. Loanda Cumba :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/loanda-cumba

Prof. Robert Forster :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/robert-forster
• https://ncsr.ie/people/prof-robert-forster/

Prof. Silvia Giordani

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/silvia-giordani
• https://www.giordanigroup.com/

Assoc. Prof. Susan Kelleher :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/susan-kelleher
• https://kellehernano.weebly.com/

Asst. Prof. Margaret McCaul :

• https://www.dcu.ie/insight/people/margaret-mccaul

Assoc. Prof. Aoife Morrin :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/aoife-morrin
• https://ncsr.ie/people/dr-aoife-morrin/

Asst. Prof. Mercedes Vasquez :

• https://aptcentre.ie/people/mercedes-vasquez/

T3: Therapeutics & Diagnostics

The School of Chemical Science hosts an array of active research in the fields of Therapeutics and Diagnostics. In the area of nanotechnology and imaging, our department has expertise in developing precision targeted probes for sensing of proteins, metabolites, structure and (super resolution) imaging in live cells and tissues. This expertise provides insights in metabolism, cell health, disease and therapy biocompatable platforms for surface enhanced Raman studies of protein, cells and exosomes; and metal enhanced fluorescence. The department also focuses on nanomaterials chemistry for biomedical applications. This work primarily focuses on the synthesis of imaging probes for cancer cells and bio-inspired functionalization of nano-onions for drug delivery. 

Our School has state-of-art expertise in photocatalytic materials to target antimicrobial resistance and in the generation of renewable fuels. This work is centred on bimetallic photocatalyst synthesis, photophysics of ruthenium compounds, and understanding the mechanisms for photocatalyzed hydrogen generation. Principal investigators in the department are also working to develop new therapeutics for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. In this research programme, green synthetic technologies and the development of new energy efficient continuous flow photochemical reactors for application in chemical synthesis are applied.

The department has extensive experience in inorganic and medicinal chemistry research which extends to metallodrug / metallopharmaecutial design, artificial gene editing, therapeutic oligonucleotide drug development, and in understanding and uncovering new metallodrug-DNA interactions.

In this research theme, the department has active computational chemistry research that focuses on modelling the stability and properties of pharmaceutical solid forms and the development and application of new DFT approaches (e.g. PBE+MBD). This research is applied to polymorphism and structures of molecular crystals and also mechanical properties of API solid forms.  

T3 Researchers:

Asst. Prof. Emma Coyle:

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/emma-coyle

Assoc. Prof. John Gallagher:

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/john-gallagher

Prof. Andrew Kellett :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/andrew-kellett
• https://andrewkellettgroup.com/

Prof. Tia Keyes :

• https://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/people/tia-keyes
• https://sites.google.com/dcu.ie/keyes-research-group/home

Download our structured PhD programme factsheet here .

The School of Chemical Sciences structured PhD programme is tailored to the needs of the School and its postgraduate students. It is a student-centred, flexible, research-focused programme, which aims to provide SCS students with discipline-specific knowledge, generic skills and autonomy to augment and support their postgraduate research. Within the programme, with their supervisor's guidance, students can undertake a range of modules across multiple subject areas, developing both scientific and generic skills. This allows our students to create truly individual and personalised PhD programmes, tailored to their specific needs.

For more information about research opportunities and activities in the school, please contact our Research Convenor Prof. Robert Forster .

Email: [email protected] Tel.: +353 01 700 5943

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

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School of Chemistry

Prospective graduate students, how and when to apply, current research areas in the school.

• Finance and fees
• Awards & Funding

Current vacancies

Accommodation, the werner chemical society, graduate student union, graduate experiences.

Applications are accepted all year round. However, applications between January and April are best suited to most annual funding cycles. The majority of research projects begin in September/October. Applications should be sent to the individual supervisor and should include a cover letter, CV (including details of academic achievements) and proposed start date by post or e-mail. Mass-mailed applications are generally ignored. After the initial contact the member of staff may agree to endorse your application for a Ph.D./M.Sc. degree, at which point further instruction will be issued to submit an application through the Graduate Studies Office . The typical duration of an M.Sc. degree is 1-2 years and a Ph.D. normally requires 4 years.

Chemistry is a core discipline, which straddles (and heavily overlaps with) the Physical, Mathematical and Biological Sciences. As such, the School is a natural strategic centre and enabling structure for projects at the interface between Chemistry and Life Sciences and Chemistry and the Materials/Nanosciences. The School possesses a vibrant and diverse research portfolio reflecting the central nature of chemistry as a whole - a list of current research areas, a department profile published in Irish Chemical News (2006, XXII, 22-26) and a presentation outlining the activities of most research groups in the School are below.

• Research areas
• School profile (PDF)

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Finance and Fees

It is important to note that an offer of a research position from the University does not imply that the position is funded and prospective graduate students must ensure that they have adequate funding for their research positions, including the payment of University fees (€6,180 for 2014/15 ). However there are a number of sources of research grants for well-qualified graduates.

For example the Irish Research Council (IRC) fund a number of postgraduate studentships (stipend plus contribution towards fees), while Trinity College offers awards – currently (€6,500 per annum, plus fees). However most students are supported by funds, which are raised by their supervisor through competitive applications to organisations such as Science Foundation Ireland, Enterprise Ireland or the European Union. Depending on funds available to them, most supervisors try to provide a total grant to their students, similar to that provided by the IRC.

Any vacancies will be advertised here

Limited accommodation is available for postgraduates on campus. However, continuing postgrads need to apply in early February. If you have been accepted to do a Ph.D., you should apply as soon as possible for on campus accommodation, as priority is given to research students. Further details may be found on the college accommodation website .

If you wish to find accommodation outside of Trinity, one of the best places to look is DAFT . This is a website where you can find properties to rent anywhere in Dublin. The best time to look for accommodation is August/September, as lease agreements will be coming to an end at this time. If you arrive in May/June, you may be able to sublet an apartment from another student - people advertise these on the notice boards in House 6, Front Square.

The Werner Chemical Society was established in 1949 and organises lectures and social events for postgraduate and undergraduate students.

GSU homepage

Three TCD graduate students give short accounts of their background and experiences in the School.

Gareth Cooke, Ph.D. student, Inorganic Chemistry

I studied chemistry and German in D.C.U. for my undergraduate degree. I spent my third year in Germany as an Erasmus student. It was nice to get some experience abroad as an undergrad, and when I returned I found I still had itchy feet from my German experience - so I travelled a whole two and a half miles into town to Trinity! I enjoyed my time in D.C.U. but I wanted to start somewhere new and was delighted to get the opportunity to work in Professor Draper's research group. In reality the life of a postgraduate student is very dependent on your project and your research group. In that sense my move was a shot in the dark, as I knew no one in the group and very little about my project. Luckily it worked out well as I am working with a great bunch of people, which is the most important thing, particularly when work is going slow. Aside from our immediate group, there seems to be a very good collective atmosphere within the School of Chemistry, and we regularly have nights out. Later this year, our group is off to Budapest for the 1st European chemistry conference, which I am really looking forward to.

Mohd Bakri Bakar, Ph.D. student, Organic Chemistry

I'm from Malaysia and my PhD is funded by the Malaysian Government and Science Foundation Ireland. I graduated with a BSc. (Industrial Chemistry) and MSc (Chemistry) from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and currently work as an assistant lecturer at UTM. With my research interest in porphyrin chemistry and study leave opportunity, I've decided to join Prof. Mathias Senge's group which at that time was relatively new research group at Trinity College Dublin. It was indeed an enjoyable and memorable moment to be here. As postgraduate studies require the well-equipped facilities and significant research investment along with the brainy peoples, TCD particularly the School of Chemistry is second to none! With the great support from staffs and colleagues including sound environments for enhancing our learning, I believe we are in the right place to explore and increase our knowledge. Trinity College Dublin is the utmost university in Ireland. Failte!

Kyra O’Sullivan, PhD Student, Physical Chemistry

I began my University life as a Trinity Undergraduate in 2002 studying Medicinal Chemistry. The first two years concentrated on organic, inorganic and physical chemistry with the latter two becoming medicinal based, sharing many lectures with the Pharmacy students. As part of fourth year, I had the opportunity to conduct my research project in a lab abroad, which I jumped at. I spent three months at the Danish University of Pharmaceutical Science in Copenhagen and had a marvelous time. It was during this period that I had my first insight into the world of chemistry research which, though can be frustrating at times, is also very rewarding and decided research was for me. Following my degree I was thrilled at being given the opportunity to work under Prof. Kelly in his postgraduate group. The immediate group is fantastic and the craic is mighty which is great when you’ve had a particularly taxing day. Not to mention the nights out with the School of Chemistry, be it pre-organized or impromptu, they’re always memorable and you can be sure someone somewhere has a photo of it!

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• PhD in Chemistry (Bionanointeractions)

Graduate Research Programmes

• PhD in Chemistry (Dublin Chemistry)
• BOC Gases Annual Graduate Research Awards
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• How to Apply

PhD Chemistry (Bionanointeractions)

Our thematic PhD Chemistry in BioNano Interactions is under the auspices of the  Centre for BioNano Interactions  and the supervision of its Director, Professor Kenneth Dawson.  This four-year research programme combines laboratory work with 30-credits of taught modules. Taught learning is taken from a suite of modules in modern genomics, proteomics, cytometry, and imaging technologies offered by the  Conway Institute  and other related disciplines in Science and Engineering.  The programme advances the application of bionanointeractions to the fields of nanosafety, nanobiology and nanomedicine.

See  How to Apply  for more information.

Contact UCD School of Chemistry

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Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

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School of Biochemistry and Immunology

You are here Courses > Postgraduate > Ph.D. Programme

Ph.D. Programme

The School of Biochemistry & Immunology provides doctoral training through the provision of a structured programme of research and study. The core component of a structured Ph.D. programme is the advancement of knowledge through original research. Through conducting research, engaging in associated research-related activities and attending courses, our Ph.D. students are supported in their development of a range of skills that meet the needs of an employment market that is wider than academia. The high quality research experience, training and outputs are consistent with international norms and best practice.

1. Getting started

Postgraduate opportunities in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology can be viewed on the School's Research Vacancies webpage. A full list of research activities undertaken in the School can be viewed on the Research Activities webpage. Please feel free to contact potential supervisors directly if you are interested in their research area.

2. Application procedure

After initial discussions with your selected supervisor, all intending students must submit their application online through the new e:Vision portal my.tcd.ie .

It is essential that all applicants have made contact with and have the support of a supervisor at the School of Biochemistry and Immunology prior to application.

As part of the application process you will need to provide

• Certified copies of your degree results (in the case of TCD applicants your previous student number will allow access to your grades from student records)
• Proof of EU status if submitting an EU application.
• Proof of English competency for applicants whose mother tongue is not English. The graduate studies office require that you provide a certificate which states that your undergraduate degree was completed entirely through the medium of English or that you have passed a recognized English competency exam. Exams currently recognized include: - IELTS minimum standard score: 6.5 - TOEFL minimum standard scores: 230 (computer based), 570 (paper based 0, 89 (internet based). - Cambridge certificate of advanced English or Cambridge certificate of proficiency in English: minimum level grade C.
• References from two referees on the official TCD graduate student reference form.

3. Financial support

The major source of funding for postgraduates is research grants obtained by the supervisor. Conditions of employment vary greatly between individual positions.

Contact Details

Prof. Rachel McLoughlin Director of Teaching and Learning (Postgraduate). Email: [email protected]

Research Fellow in Synthetic Organic Chemistry - Molecular Engineering of Functional Organic Materials

Job information, offer description.

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position (2 years) in the Porphyshape (Molecular Engineering of Functional Organic Materials) project. This is a SFI funded collaborative project led by Prof. Mathias O. Senge (Chair of Organic Chemistry, TCD and Hans Fischer Senior Fellow, TU Munich).

Understanding the functions of natural enzymes and developing new catalysts is a fundamental challenge in chemistry. Porphyrins are nature’s most versatile and ubiquitous class of cofactors with a wide range of chemically distinct functions - yet all these functions rely on metal chelates. PORPHYSHAPE challenges this limitation to metalloporphyrins. Key is the use of conformationally engineered nonplanar free base porphyrins, wherein structural macrocycle modulation gives functional access to the porphyrin core. Using targeted molecular design, which combines the aspects of conformational flexibility with rational chemical synthesis as a new concept for organocatalyst/receptor design we will: 1) use conformational cofactor control as key design principle for bench-top molecular engineering of functional porphyrins; 2) deliver enzyme mimics capable of selective activation of substrates in organocatalytic reactions; 3) develop 1D, 2D, and 3D design principles in solution, on-surface, and in framework materials to yield spatially defined multifunctional nanoarrays; 4) establish proof-of-concepts for applications in sensing and remediation.

Specific Project: Synthetic methods development for rigid hydrocarbon scaffolds (e.g., cubane, bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane, etc.) as building blocks for functional organic materials.

Sample publications:

https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202302771

https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202218211

https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201806281

https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.201804225

This is a highly interdisciplinary project which brings together researchers from synthetic organic chemistry, photochemistry, medicinal and bioinorganic chemistry and requires a strong interest in these areas. Participation in STEM outreach and collaborative research projects and grant initiatives is expected.

Standard Duties and Responsibilities of the Post

1. Undertake postdoctoral research in the area of functional organic materials and synthetic methods development.

2. Work closely with the academic supervisor and collaborators to ensure that the progress of the individual project is in line with the objectives of the project.

3. Attend and participate in all training events and supervisory meetings.

4. Prepare progress reports, write publications and give presentations on the research conducted.

5. Present and publish research outputs to both academic and non-academic audiences.

6. Attend and participate in academic and non-academic conferences, events and seminars.

7. Actively engage in the outreach activities of the research group and engage in efforts to engage with arts and humanities.

8. Undertake international placements at a leading international university, research institute or industrial partner.

9. Actively engage in laboratory safety, management and maintenance. Help with the day-to-day running of the research group, training, and supervision of interns and students, procuring orders and managing the laboratory.

10. Actively develop new research avenues and assist in the preparation of grant proposals.

Requirements

Recent Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry.

Strong competence in synthetic organic chemistry and analytical techniques; enthusiasm for research, creativity in writing and ability to work with a high degree of independence; interest in synthetic methods development, functional organic materials, and translational science.

Very good English language skills and commitment to work in highly diverse and multicultural research groups. Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Strong track record in high quality scientific publications, grants, and outreach.

Applications from underrepresented groups and women are strongly encouraged.

Experience in synthetic organic methods development (e.g., total synthesis, photoredox, or complex transition metal catalysis) as exemplified in high quality publications.

Supervisory experience (e.g., M.Sc. students).

International experience.

Experience with cubane, bicyclo[1.1.1]pentane and similar hydrocarbon scaffolds synthesis.

Ability to write scholarly publications.

Experience with porphyrin chemistry.

Grant/stipend track record.

Additional Information

Appointment will be made on the SFI Team Member Budget Scale [Level 2A] at a point in line with Government Pay Policy [€40023 to €46109 per annum], appointment will be made no higher than point [1].

See specific requirements

1. Screening of suitable applications.

Note, only complete applications (see above) and those fitting the stated research topic will be acknowledged.

2. Shortlisting

3. Interview

Application Procedure

Applications (full CV, meaning motivation letter outlining your suitability for the post, 2 reference contacts, transcripts; if available, Ph.D. thesis; as a single pdf) to: Prof. Dr. Mathias O. Senge

Email Address: [email protected]

Work Location(s)

Where to apply.

Congratulations Prof. Aicheng Chen for winning the CEPS Excellence in Graduate Supervision Award

Posted on Wednesday, May 15th, 2024

Prof. Aicheng Chen was the recipient of the CEPS Excellence in Graduate Supervision Award at the CEPS Annual College Awards for 2024. 

News Archive

Department of Chemistry

Alessandra bertacche wins the excellence in undergraduate teaching by a graduate student.

This award is particularly special, as they are chosen solely based on student nominations and feedback. Students spoke highly of Alessandra’s inclusiveness, dynamism, and enthusiasm for the material. Last year she received an honorable mention for this award, so you can see that her impact on the students continues! One of the students in particular stated ” “She explained things with an energy that just made everything she said engaging, even the hardest reactions felt like something understandable- more importantly – something I WANTED to understand, and even master.” Congratulations on winning this well-deserved award.

Graduates receive Convocation awards for outstanding achievement

Each year during the Department of Chemistry's May Convocation ceremony, several awards are presented to graduating undergraduate and graduate students. All of the awards were established by a gift to the department, and some are in memory of an individual. All of the awards include a $1,000 monetary gift to the recipients and recognize specific student achievements, including scholarship, research, teaching and more. This year, six undergraduate students and two graduate students were honored during the May 12, 2024, Convocation ceremony.  

Undergraduate awards  

John C. Bailar Award for excellence in undergraduate research

Zachary Burke was a double major in chemistry and astrophysics, whose undergraduate research in chemistry Prof. Mikael Backlund's lab was on a quantum-inspired approach to super-resolution microscopy based on image inversion interferometry. Burke will be a coauthor of a forthcoming manuscript, and he was accepted at all of the graduate schools to which he applied. In the fall, he will attend MIT for his PhD studies in chemistry.

Carl S. Marvel Award for excellence in undergraduate research

Zipeng Shen worked on two projects as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Prof. Walter Klemperer. His first project was on the isolation of salts of carbocations and Keggen anions, which he then characterized by X-ray crystallography. His second project was computational and experimental analysis of phase transitions in hydrated crystalline Keggin polyoxometalate salts. In the fall, Zipeng will attend MIT to earn a PhD degree in chemistry.

Dr. Eugene Kent Borchart Memorial Award in Chemistry for an outstanding graduating senior in chemistry

Ananya Singh was nominated by Prof. Jordan Axelson for being an outstanding student with a GPA above 3.9. She was an attentive, upbeat, and selfless student instructor in CHEM 232 Elementary Organic Chemistry, according to Dr. Axelson, and she served as a teaching assistant for freshman chemistry majors in CHEM 150 First Semester Success in Chemistry. She will be attending medical school in the fall.

Worth H. Rodebush Award for academic merit

Joel Ryan was nominated by Prof. Jordan Axelson. Ryan is a double major in Chemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology with a GPA of 3.98. He served as a student instructor in CHEM 232 Elementary Organic Chemistry with Dr. Axelson as well as a teaching assistant in both CHEM 101 Introductory Chemistry and CHEM 104 General Chemistry II Laboratory. He submitted a senior thesis for his research in MCB, and he will be attending medical school in the fall.

John David Barnwell Memorial Award

This award is presented to a student who exemplifies academic achievement along with a high personal standard of ethics and scholarship, a passion for teaching, and fluency in the arts. Ethan Ramirez was nominated by Dr. Elise McCarren and Prof. Jeff Moore. With a GPA over 3.9, Ramirez was integral to teaching in three different chemistry courses, and played the viola in the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra. In his teaching contribution to CHEM 332 Elementary Organic Chemistry II with Prof. Moore, Ramirez was integral to implementing a nontraditional approach that used project-based assignments, encouraging peer collaboration and application of organic chemistry to real-world problems, rather than exams. Dr. McCarren said that with his thoughtful advice and suggestions, Ramirez was an asset to the entire Merit TA team for CHEM 332 and also for the two other courses he taught as a Merit TA, CHEM 101 and CHEM 104. In the fall, Ramirez will continue his education at the University of Illinois as he worked toward his Masters of Science in the Teaching of Chemistry degree.  

Reynold C. Fuson Award for excellence in undergraduate research

Zikang Xu  did his undergraduate research in the lab of Prof. Greg Girolami on the synthesis of new polymer-transition metal hybrids as catalysts for hydrosilylation reactions. Prof. Girolami praises Xu for, among other things, coming up with new ideas when the initial plan for his project did not succeed. Xu is continuing his research in the Girolami lab as he plans to continue his education in a graduate school program.

Graduate Student Awards  

American Chemical Society Presidential P3 Medal for Graduate Research Excellence

In her PhD studies in Prof. Lisa Olshansky's lab, Dr. Saman Fatima  developed conformationally switchable artificial metalloenzymes and characterized them using a wide range of techniques. She collaborated with staff in the Materials Research Laboratory, with members of Satish Nair’s laboratory in Biochemistry, and with members of the Bridwell-Rabb lab at University of Michigan. She has also collaborated with the Thielges lab at Indiana University and with the Sutton lab at Beckman Institute on the Illinois campus. In her postdoctoral research, Dr. Fatima will continue to pursue her interest in protein design, now incorporating computational approaches into her methodology toolbox.

In his PhD research, Dr. Zane Thornburg led efforts in Prof. Zan Luthey-Schulten's lab to develop a 4D, space plus time, whole-cell model of a minimal bacterial cell. His wide-ranging collaborations included scientists at the J. Craig Venter Institute for Synthetic Biology in California, Harvard Medical School, UC San Diego, University of Groningen in the Netherlands, the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and NVIDIA Corporation. Dr. Thornburg is currently a Cancer Center at Illinois–Beckman Institute Postdoctoral Fellow, where he is working to image and model cancer cells.

More Department News

• Frank Alcorn receives 2023 Klemperer Award for Outstanding Dissertation Alcorn is now a postdoctoral researcher in the Materials Physics Division of Sandia National Labs and recently returned to the Illinois campus to receive the Klemperer Award and present his dissertation research. Read full story
• Chemistry labs divert more than one ton of PPE from waste stream Through the Kimberly-Clark Right Cycle Program, teaching labs and some research labs in the Department of Chemistry diverted 1.03 tons or 2,278 pounds of PPE waste in 2023, earning the department a 2024 Greenovation Award. Read full story
• Christy F. Landes elected 2023 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science The AAAS selected Prof. Landes “for the development of next-generation tools and models to image and understand dynamics governing separations at soft interfaces at the single analyte limit.” Read full story

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Guo looking for answers behind semiconducting material properties.

2 days ago · 4 min read

Guo looking for answers behind semiconducting material properties

Metal halide perovskites have emerged in recent years as a low-cost, highly efficient semiconducting material for solar energy, solid-state lighting and more. Despite their growing use, a fundamental understanding of the origins of their outstanding properties is still lacking. A Husker scientist is aiming to find answers that could lead to the development of new materials and new applications.

Yinsheng Guo , assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, also wants to transform how physical chemistry is taught to undergraduate and graduate students, who often struggle to understand and apply what they have learned in class to the laboratory and STEM workplace.

Guo’s research and teaching project is funded by a five-year, $648,335 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program.

“The importance of photovoltaic technology in the energy portfolio will continue to grow globally and in the U.S.,” Guo said. “Such growth is fueled by the continuous investment and innovation in new technologies.”

Metal halide perovskites (or MHPs), which “have become a star material in the last decade,” represent a major branch of these technologies. Perovskites are a group of materials that have distinctive crystal structures of interconnected octahedral units made of metal and oxide or halide ions. The broadly defined perovskite family is known for its superconducting and ferroelectric properties, drawing interest in both fundamental science and materials engineering. As scientists have learned more about MHPs’ ability to absorb and emit photons of light and be used for harvesting electricity, perovskites have emerged as a much less expensive, easier to scale up alternative to silicon for use in energy technologies.

MHPs can be used as semiconducting materials in a variety of applications, including solar energy, solid-state lighting, lasers, photodetectors and general optoelectronic applications, Guo said.

However, Guo said, “a comprehensive and consistent understanding of the origin of the many outstanding optoelectronic properties is still lacking despite being intensively pursued.” His research goal is to answer fundamental questions about MHPs.

MHPs’ exceptional performance is surprising, given that they are defect-prone, low-temperature, solution-processed materials, Guo said. He and his research team will work to quantify and control MHPs’ unique structural dynamics to better understand their exceptional electronic properties so they can be further developed and commercialized.

Ultimately, a better understanding of MHPs’ design principles could be useful in developing other emerging materials.

Guo also aims to change how students approach physical chemistry.

“Chemistry is the central science and serves as the physical foundation for advancements in both biomedical and material fields,” Guo said. “A good conceptual understanding of the physical and chemical principles enables and empowers a future science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce.”

As a teacher, Guo said, he has observed that both undergraduate and graduate students struggle with that conceptual understanding, which may be exacerbated by differences in how students learned about physical sciences earlier on.

“Students’ learning is often compartmentalized,” Guo said. “Undergraduate students often assume an exam-oriented mentality and do not find the course content and skills transferrable in their career and life; graduate students often are challenged to transfer course content into research skills.”

Through his CAREER project, Guo will develop a computational and experiential approach to address the challenges of teaching and learning physical chemistry. Guo said he will harness readily available computational resources to break down the learning barrier and bring students toward better conceptual understanding through active, experiential learning.

Computational literacy is also an important element for the next generation entering the STEM workforce at a time when machine intelligence plays an indispensable role. Having built a computational skillset, students will be guided to further explore scientific data, including mapping spectra — a visual representation of the intensity of light — to musical notes. The idea is to produce molecularly encoded music as a bridge between science and art.

The National Science Foundation’s CAREER award supports pre-tenure faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research.

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