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Northwestern Chemistry

About the Department

Established in 1884 and located on the shore of Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois, the Department of Chemistry is a center for global excellence in undergraduate and graduate education and research in chemistry.

We have a long-standing commitment to collaborative research in the fundamentals of chemistry as well as exploring multidisciplinary connections in nanotechnology, energy sciences, catalysis, life processes, biological chemistry, materials science, drug development, chemical and biological engineering, and environmental science.

Our department has innovative faculty and outstanding students. We currently have 36 world-renowned, research-active chemistry faculty, including 14 active members of the National Academy of Sciences.

Student Outcomes

The measure of a department is the success of its students. Approximately 90% of undergraduate chemistry majors go on to medical school or graduate school for further study.

Our Ph.D. students receive broad training that prepares them equally well for careers in academia or industry. Approximately 60% of alumni hold industrial positions, 30% have academic positions, and 10% are employed by government or independent research institutions.

Department Scale

In addition to faculty, the department includes approximately:

Research Infrastructure

The Integrated Molecular Structure Education and Research Center (IMSERC), completed in 2013, is a world-class analytical facility established to educate Northwestern students as scientific leaders of the 21st century and to support world-class research.

All research at Northwestern utilizing novel compounds relies on IMSERC to characterize these molecules prior to application testing. As a “one-stop shop” for molecular structure characterization, all instrumentation and staff scientist offices are housed in a single location.

IMSERC supports research across chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, drug discovery, chemical biology, translational medical research, materials science, catalysis, nanotechnology, and energy storage and conversion.