Department of Chemistry

MS, MA, and PhD degree programs in chemistry emphasize research and applicability

Binghamton University's Department of Chemistry offers a rigorous and dynamic environment for students seeking high-level employment in the field. With three degree options and academic tracks spanning all branches of the subject, the program supports a variety of research-oriented learning. The Department of Chemistry is made of 24 faculty members, and the graduate program has approximately 54 students at any given time.

The PhD degree program typically requires four years of study culminating in a dissertation. It prepares students to be researchers, educators, and leaders in the discipline.

The MS degree program (30 credits) requires a thesis project and oral examination, which serves as useful training for future PhD work or for immediate employment.

The MA degree program (32 credits) is a non-thesis track that can usually be completed in a single year of study. It enhances the range and depth of students' skills, and can aid in the search for gainful employment in many public or private laboratory settings.

Customized study for all manner of career outcomes

In addition to research and teaching positions within the discipline, chemists are in demand for a variety of careers in biology, pharmacology, environmental science, physics, energy research, materials science, engineering, and more. Experienced faculty advisers will offer guidance in creating individualized courses of study that best reflect students' strength, goals, and expectations after graduation.

Some current faculty members whose research is making a difference

The Department of Chemistry faculty members include experts and innovators within the discipline who undertake a variety of investigations with a cross-disciplinary scope. Current faculty members include M. Stanley Whittingham, Omowunmi A. Sadik, and Eriks Rozners.

M. Stanley Whittingham is a distinguished professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering. His work explores and develops novel inorganic oxide materials, including lithium ion batteries, which have potential for improving methods of energy storage. In the summer of 2014 the university secured $12.8 million in funding from the US Department of Energy to expand this research, and further success will impact efforts to bring about an energy future based on sustainable sources.

Omowunmi Sadik is professor of bioanalytical, materials, and environmental chemistry. She has patented cutting-edge biosensor technologies that detect trace chemical compounds, from pollutants to pathogens. Such breakthroughs aid in public health efforts and represent exciting new terrain for interdisciplinary collaboration among chemistry, biology, and nanotechnology.

Eriks Rozners is associate professor of organic and bioorganic chemistry, and director of graduate studies. His investigations explore RNA sequence selectivity and its applications for gene therapy, an exciting arena of research with potential for treating conditions that are not treatable via traditional pharmacology. The development of new and improved antibacterial, antiviral, and anticancer therapeutics relies upon a comprehensive functional understanding of the chemical processes underlying genetics.

Research and teaching facilities

Chemistry building facilities include labs for NMR spectroscopy, chromatography, LCQ mass spectrometry, laser spectroscopy, X-ray and thermal imaging, and more. Fluency with an array of research technologies is vital to success in the field, as are the computing and informatics knowledge that go with them. Students at Binghamton University enjoy a modern program that prepares them to meet modern challenges.

Success after graduation

Alumni of Binghamton work in a cross-section of research roles in private sector and public agencies, on subjects as diverse as solar energy technology and AIDS research. Others aiming toward pedagogy have obtained positions domestically and internationally at distinguished colleges and universities. Departments work closely with the Fleischman Center for Career and Professional Development to monitor available opportunities across a number of fields, and keep graduates connected to professional networks.