Welcome to the Department of
Chemistry and Biochemistry

The Department offers Baccalaureate degrees in both Chemistry and Biochemistry and Molecular biology to undergraduate students. At the graduate level, the Department offers Master's (MS) degrees in Chemistry. Upon graduation, our students are equipped with the knowledge, expertise and personal skills to make a significant and positive impact in the field and benefit their communities at the state, regional, and national levels.

The department is also committed to promoting the professional development of its faculty through active research, scholarship, networking opportunities, and mentoring. The expertise of our faculty spans a wide range of disciplines such as analytical, environmental, inorganic and organic chemistry, physical chemistry, biophysics, biochemistry, geochemistry and other specialties of study.

News and Events

Dr. Mereddy Awarded Two Research Grants to Develop New Drugs

Professor Venkatram Mereddy, was awarded two prestigious grants to support his research on drug discoveries. One grant from the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics (2/1/2013-1/31/2015) for developing novel drugs for Gliomas". The second award from the Masonic Cancer Center Brainstorm Mechanism (2/1/2013-1/31/2014) supports the development of novel MCT1 inhibitors for Brain tumors. Dr. Lester Drewes, DMED Medical School and a Graduate Faculty in our Department, is also a Principal Investigator on these two grants.

UMD Summer Session 2013: Registration starts March 4

UMD in the summer. It has a more relaxed feel. Classes are typically smaller, which means more opportunities to connect with faculty. And with hundreds of courses, including dozens online, you’ll have plenty of options to fit a summer class into your schedule. Click here for more information.

SUMMER SESSIONS INCLUDE:
May Session: May 20 – June 7
Summer Session: June 10 – August 2

2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

UMD graduate Brian Kobilka won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry Wednesday, along with another U.S. scientist, for studies about how cells in our body sense their environments. These studies are key for developing better drugs.

Kobilka shares the prize with fellow American Robert Lefkowitz. Kobilka graduated summa cum laude from UMD in 1977 with bachelor of science degrees in biology and chemistry.

Kobilka obtained his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine in 1981, trained in internal medicine at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis (1981-1984) and served as a research fellow (1984-1989) and assistant professor (1988-1989) at the Duke University School of Medicine. In 1989 Kobilka joined the faculty of the Stanford University School of Medicine where currently he is professor of medicine, and molecular and cellular physiology. He was inducted into the UMD Academy of Science and Engineering in 2005.

Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) in Maryland who shares the prize, is also a professor at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.

• Additional News