Graduate Programs

Close up of a student with goggles doing a chemistry experiment.

Chemistry and Biochemistry: Ph.D., M.A., M.S.

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry offers programs leading to the Ph.D., M.S. and M.A. degrees. Financial support is available for Ph.D. students in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships and fellowships. Such support provides a highly competitive stipend that is guaranteed for five years, allowing students to comfortably focus on their research and education as they develop into independent scholars and proficient scientists. The thesis for the Ph.D. or M.S. degree may be completed in a number of traditional areas of concentration, with emphasis placed on a mix of interdisciplinary coursework and research experiences. In addition to stressing a multidisciplinary approach within chemistry and biochemistry, students are encouraged to explore coursework and research partnerships offered through other departments when they fit logically into the student’s proposed course.

Research in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry involves nearly 200 full-time Ph.D. students and many M.S. candidates that work across approximately 30 vibrant research groups. Students work closely with faculty to push the boundaries of science and education. Our departmental faculty are broadly recognized as global leaders in their respective fields and for excellence in student mentorship. Research within the department is focused on addressing many of our society’s most pressing issues and places major emphasis on collaborative and interdisciplinary inquiry. These efforts are bolstered by department-led Centers for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), an NIH Chemical and Biology Interface (CBI) training program, and partnerships with many multidisciplinary research centers on our campus, including the UD Energy Institute, The Center for Catalytic Science and Technology and the Delaware Environmental Institute, among others. Our proximity to UD’s College of Engineering enables crosscutting connections that further distinguish our department as a progressive hub for multidisciplinary science on campus.

In addition to the wide variety of modern equipment available in individual departmental research laboratories, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry hosts four major state-of-the-art facilities that are managed by Ph.D.-level staff scientists. Graduate students are trained to use instruments in each of these facilities in completing dissertation work. The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Complex houses six state-of-the-art NMR spectrometers with operating frequencies ranging from 400 MHz to 850 MHz, as well as one FT-ESR spectrometer. The departmental mass spectrometry laboratory provides access to instruments that provide capabilities in electrospray ionization (ESI), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), chemical ionization (CI), liquid-injection field desorption ionization (LIFDI), and electron ionization (EI) mass spectrometry. Numerous state-of-the-art low-resolution and high-resolution GC/MS, LC/MS and MALDI instruments are also available. The X-ray laboratory includes two CCD X-ray diffractometers for small molecule crystallography, and a research facility to perform macromolecular crystallography is also housed in the department. Our department also serves as home to the University-wide Surface Analysis Facility (SAF), which provides analytical capabilities in scanning probe microscopy (SPM), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). All students and faculty in the department also benefit from the wide range of research facilities located across UD’s campus that complement and expand the capabilities provided by those detailed above. Finally, the department also maintains electronics, machine and glass-blowing shops, as well as a chemistry reference library and IT and administrative services. Each of these facilities is operated by full-time departmental staff members.

Students and faculty within the department also benefit through interactions with industrial colleagues in the mid-Atlantic region, which is a hub for pharmaceutical science, chemical synthesis, biotechnology and many other chemistry-related industries. An extensive program of visiting speakers and scholars brings distinguished scientists from across the globe to the department each year. Our department maintains close contact with alumni and additional colleagues in academia, government and industry to provide students with an understanding of the many opportunities they can consider upon completing their advanced degrees. Many students take advantage of these connections to engage in research internships and co-ops with a mix of industrial and national lab partners as they complete their dissertations. These experiences provide students with a finer understanding of how the skills they build while at UD translate into the workplace as they prepare for the next stages of their careers.