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A researcher in Bryce Sadtler's lab

Research

Research is the engine that drives innovation and impacts society, and our many efforts at exploration and discovery at WashU are closely coupled in preparing our students to become future leaders.

Research
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Teaching

We strive for excellence in teaching at all levels. From introductory undergraduate coursework to detailed graduate study, our department offers classroom experiences, hands-on research, and experiential learning for students who are curious, driven, and compelled to tackle worldwide problems in energy, the environment, and bio-sciences.

Teaching
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First-year graduate students after completing their introductory safety course in Fall 2023

Safety

The chemistry department fosters a culture of safety within our department. We are committed to providing a safe workspace for all our students, post-docs, staff, and faculty. Our department is dedicated to maintaining safe practices, managing, and mitigating potential risks, and nurturing genuine consideration for the well-being and safety of oneself and neighbors in all our instructional and research labs.

Safety
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Diversity

Our diversity enhances the educational, research, and service goals we seek through the reflection of multiple perspectives.

Diversity
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Participants in Catalysts for Change in February 2022

Societal Impact

Our department strives for our research to be meaningful, inspirational, and to have relevance for both our students and for the world, at large. We strive to be a resource for our surrounding community, through K-12 education, for our scientific community through cutting-edge research achievements, and globally through new impactful discoveries.

Societal Impact

About Our Department

The Department of Chemistry at Washington University has a tradition of excellence, combining deep commitments to fundamental research and classroom teaching. Our department is made up of a close-knit group of teacher-scientists who provide a superior education in chemistry. Our students gain a strong foundation in the core areas of chemistry: organic, physical, inorganic, nuclear, and theoretical. Special emphases in the department include emerging interdisciplinary fields as organometallic, bioorganic, biophysical, macromolecular, polymer, environmental, and materials chemistry. 

Our state-of-the-art facilities include the newly renovated Bryan Hall, which adds 28,000 square feet of research space to our footprint.  The department is home to 30 teaching and research faculty members and roughly 90 undergraduate chemistry majors, 100 graduate students, and 20 postdoctoral research associates and research scientists. 

Collaboration with other departments is a hallmark of our program. We collaborate actively with members of the Departments of Biology, Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Physics. We also collaborate with a number of departments in the McKelvey School of Engineering and in the School of Medicine. Our interdisciplinary research teams are perfectly poised to confront and help solve difficult issues in energy, health, education, security, and defense, and our students are trained to be leaders in these fields. 

Meet the Chemistry Department

Chemistry Department Overview

Faculty, doctoral students, and undergraduates talk about the department and their experiences at Washington University

Natalia Gutierrez

I chose WashU to pursue my PhD in chemistry because I feel their approach to education provides, not only academic rigor, but also a work-life balance that helps us stay mentally fresh and focus on our research. While the relationships we create with our mentors is up to us, mine pushes me to solve problems independently and gives me the freedom to learn at my own pace, helping me become the best scientist I can be.

―Natalia GutierrezPhD Candidate, Taylor Lab