Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rensselaer

The Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rensselaer has a long history of innovation in education and for excellence in laboratory instruction.

In addition to a strong focus in the traditional areas of chemistry we offer courses and research programs in the rapidly developing frontiers of modern science, including biochemistry, biophysics and biotechnology, materials and polymer chemistry, and medicinal chemistry.

 

  • Program Spotlight

    B.S. in Chemistry

    At the forefront of research while being small enough for students to receive individual attention from faculty.

  • Program Spotlight

    Ph.D in Chemistry

    Research projects in emerging fields of science and technology that lie at the intersection between chemistry and biotechnology, energy sciences, physics, biochemistry, computational methods, material science and nanotechnology.

  • A number of awards are given to outstanding undergraduates to recognize exceptional performance.

  • The undergraduate laboratory program emphasizes the hands-on use of modern research-grade instruments that allow students to become familiar with real-world equipment and tecniques used in research and industry.

  • Student researchers play a critical role in the world-changing discovery, innovation, and breakthroughs taking place across campus.

  • So you’re interested in chemistry?

    Perhaps you’re pretty sure that chemistry is the subject you want to major in, or, perhaps, it is just one of several possibilities.

    Perhaps you’re not sure what a chemist really does after college.

Announcements

The 6th annual Future Leaders Series meeting is coming up! This event is an opportunity for Ph.D. students expected to graduate in 2021 to present their work at our next local section meeting being held on Wednesday, January 20th, 2021 (6:00 – 9:00PM). Faculty are encouraged to nominate their Ph.D. students for consideration by Sunday, Jan, 10th, 2021. Selected speakers will be notified by Wed, January 13th, 2021.  We are looking for 3-4 speakers to present.

See Professor Shelley's interview in the Spectroscopist Inside section starting on page 42:  https://rpi.app.box.com/s/fcx7ubkqj7ainzfxuts8goniu522pnm8  

RPI Chemistry's student-athlete Mikaela DiBello has been named to the 2018-19 Goodle Cloud Academic All-America Division III At-Large Second Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).   https://rpiathletics.com/news/2019/6/20/field-hockey-dibello-and-maxfiel...  

Jessica Hellinger is recipient of a 2019 Society for Applied Spectroscopy Undergraduate Student Award.  This award recognizes her project to siimultaneously obtain elemental and small molecule information with a novel plasma source, the Solution Cathode Glow Discharge (SCGD), via optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.  This award will be presented at the SciX Conference in Palm Springs, CA, in October 2019.  

News

Today, it was announced that Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will become the first university in the world to house an IBM Quantum System One. The IBM quantum computer, intended to be operational by January of 2024, will serve as the foundation of a new IBM Quantum Computational Center in partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). By partnering, RPI’s vision is to greatly enhance the educational experiences and research capabilities of students and researchers at RPI and other institutions, propel the Capital Region into a top location for talent, and accelerate New York's growth as a technology epicenter.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Christopher Cioffi, Ph.D., Thomas and Constance D’Ambra Professor in Organic Chemistry, has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, along with Konstantin Petrukhin of Columbia University and Gennadiy Moiseyev of Wake Forest University. The grant will enable the team to design a drug to treat Stargardt disease, a rare retinal disorder.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Martin A. Schmidt ’81 presided over the 217th Commencement Ceremony, his first as president. During the ceremony, which was held at the East Campus Athletic Village, Rensselaer awarded a total of 1,988 degrees — 152 doctoral degrees, 390 master’s degrees, and 1,446 bachelor’s degrees — to 1,957 students, some of whom earned multiple degrees. Approximately 1,500 students attended the ceremony.

Contact Information

Chemistry and Chemical Biology

120 Cogswell
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180

(518) 276-6456