About the Department of Chemistry

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Hamilton Hall, home of the Department of Chemistry

Since being founded in 1882, UNL’s Chemistry Department has lead in diverse areas from computational chemistry and molecular dynamics simulation to synthetic organic chemistry, mass spectrometry and surface science — from chromatography and separations science to chemical biology and materials design, fabrication, and study.

Our more than 125-year tradition of academic excellence dates further than our hiring of the first female chemistry faculty member, Rachel Lloyd, in the 1800s, and past our offering the first graduate program west of the Mississippi. We’re proud of our past accomplishments, but we’re particularly excited about the present and future, especially in the potential residing in the cadre of young professors — roughly half of the tenure-track faculty — hired in the past decade.

To maintain our reputation at the forefront of chemistry education and research, we consistently invest in pioneering technology, hire renowned faculty members, and cultivate an environment that rewards innovation, determination and old-fashioned hard work.

To a degree unmatched by any other chemistry department in the country, we immerse our students in research — as both undergraduates and graduates.

We produce high-achieving professionals who are proficient in modern lab procedures, who excel in leading scientific inquiry process and who have broad knowledge in the discipline’s six major areas (organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, biochemistry and chemical education).

They understand how the chemical principles apply to society, both practically and ethically. And because they play critical roles in cutting-edge research projects, they have real-world experience they couldn’t get anywhere else.

Our graduates have excellent acceptance rates into medical, pharmacy, and graduate school. They go onto careers with world-leading chemical and pharmaceutical companies, with the National Institute for Health, and in education.

Sometimes, they come back and teach the next generation.

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