The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has several fundamental responsibilities. They are:
- to train students to understand, to criticize meaningfully, and to carry out scientific investigations,
- to provide instruction and laboratory experience for those who wish to make chemistry or biochemistry their livelihood and/or pursue advanced study in chemistry or biochemistry,
- to provide instruction and laboratory experience for those who wish to use chemistry or biochemistry as a background in an allied profession, and
- to provide students not majoring in chemistry or biochemistry with up-to-date instruction in the principles of chemistry or biochemistry and methods of scientific inquiry.
In meeting these responsibilities, the department offers two Bachelor of Science degrees, one in Chemistry and the other in Biochemistry, both of which are certified by the American Chemical Society, the department's accrediting body. The department also offers two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in Chemistry and the other in Biochemistry. The BA options allow students to get a firm educational foundation in chemistry or biochemistry along with the ability to develop specialization in another field not necessarily related to chemistry or biochemistry.
In addition to its baccalaureate degrees, the department offers several combined degree programs. Students may pursue a degree in chemistry and chemical engineering through a joint program with the Illinois Institute of Technology. The department hosts its own combined BS/MS program. This option allows students to earn a BS and MS in chemistry.
Faculty
Quinetta D. Shelby, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jurgis A. Anysas, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Illinois Institute of Technology
Gwendalyn C. Baumann, Ph.D.
Senior Professional Instructor
Johns Hopkins University
Timothy A. French, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Faculty Coordinator for General Chemistry
Yale University
Kyle A. Grice, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director of Communications
University of Washington
Graham B. Griffin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of California, Berkeley
Lisa Janes, Ph.D.
Professional Instructor
Michigan State University
Lihua Jin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Princeton University
Caitlin E. Karver, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies
University of Southern California
Gregory B. Kharas, Ph.D.
Professor
Technion Institute
Justin J. Maresh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
The University of Chicago
Sara Steck Melford, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Emeritus
Northwestern University
Edwin F. Meyer, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Northwestern University
Thomas J. Murphy, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Iowa State University
Richard F. Niedziela, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Senior Associate Dean for Administration and Operations
The University of Chicago
Ruben D. Parra, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Charles Rubert-Perez, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Faculty Coordinator for Organic Chemistry
Purdue University
Cathrine A. Southern, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies
The University of Chicago
Paul A. Vadola, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Director of the Graduate Program
Columbia University
Wendy S. Wolbach, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs
The University of Chicago