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Crowdsourcing chemistry: Illinois researchers attract international interest with Kaggle Competition
 Inspired by their own recent chemical discoveries for solar energy development using machine learning, a research team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was curious what other data-driven chemical discoveries could be possible if they could access a broader machine learning...
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Rachel Schaaf selected a 2025 MEDI Division Predoctoral Fellow
The ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry has selected Illinois chemistry Ph.D. student Rachel Schaaf as a recipient of this year’s Predoctoral Fellowships.These fellowships recognize outstanding predoctoral students engaged in medicinal chemistry research. Fellows are selected based on scientific...
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Michelle Bishka, Yilun Li recognized by Royal Society of Chemistry for undergraduate excellence
Two Illinois chemistry graduates, Michelle Bishka and Yilun Li, have been awarded 2025 Certificates of Undergraduate Excellence by the Royal Society of Chemistry.The RSC awards the certificates as part of its...
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Prof. Angad Mehta receives $1 million “Ono Initiative” award for antibody, biologics research
 Inspired by the human immune system that is constantly developing antibodies to combat pathogens, University of Illinois researchers in the lab of chemistry professor Angad P. Mehta are using synthetic biology and synthetic immunology methods...
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Chemistry's Viviana Palacio-Betancur joins Beckman Institute Postdoctoral Fellows Program
As a Beckman Postdoctoral Fellow, Viviana Palacio-Betancur will begin research this fall on bridging molecular-scale interactions and macroscopic behavior of liquid crystal. Palacio-Betancur earned her Ph.D. in molecular engineering from the University of Chicago in 2023, and she is currently...

Chemistry courses offer study abroad opportunities

Explore these two courses in the Department of Chemistry that offer short-term study abroad opportunities that will enrich what you learn in the classroom by applying your knowledge to real-world experiences while exploring another part of the world. 

Coffee, Chemistry, and the Community in Panama Natural Products in Costa Rica

Research Areas in Chemistry

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Analytical Chemistry
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Chemical Biology
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Inorganic Chemistry
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Materials Chemistry
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Organic Chemistry
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Physical Chemistry

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Spotlight: Catherine J. Murphy

An award-winning researcher and pioneer in the synthesis and use of inorganic nanocrystals as probes of biological systems, professor Catherine J. Murphy has also served as Head of the Department of Chemistry at Illinois since June 2020 when she became the first woman to lead the department in its more than 152-year history.   In the lab, Murphy’s research has led to the development of synthetic methods used in commercial production of gold nanorods in environmentally sustainable ways. The Murphy Research Group fabricates colloidal inorganic nanomaterials of controlled...