About

Our department was founded in 1868 by Charles A. Goessmann, a student of the great organic chemist, Friedrich Woehler. Over 150 years later, we continue to provide not only the very best of mentoring for our undergraduate and graduate students, but also broad training in cutting edge educational methods, modern instrumental facilities, and original research. As the core of the chemical sciences on campus, we have numerous ties to other departments such as Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Physics, and Polymer Science & Engineering.

We provide not only the highest quality of education and research, but also support to our community and our profession. Our faculty are well funded by federal and industrial grants, and count numerous prestigious awards, such as multiple Dreyfus New Faculty and Teacher Scholar Awards, Sloan Fellowships, National Science Foundation CAREER Awards, Cottrell Research Awards, Young Investigator Awards, the Von Hippel Award for Materials Science, International Council on Main Group Chemistry Award, and Lester W. Strock Award (atomic spectroscopy), and the American Society for Mass Spectrometry Research Awards. Our undergraduates are diverse and ambitious, pursuing a variety of internship and co-op opportunities in pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotech industries in the northeastern USA. UMass Amherst provides top-notch role models, mentors, and facilities to enhance training for highly successful careers in academic, industrial or government sectors. We hope to hear from you!