Department of Chemistry

Letter from the Chair

Yuanbing Mao

Dear Faculty, Students, Alumni, and Friends,

Welcome to the Department of Chemistry at Illinois Institute of Technology, where both fundamental and applied chemistry is explored in response to challenges and problems facing science, society, and industry.

With a legacy dating back to the 1890s, we strive to be internationally recognized as the premier chemistry department for education, innovation, and cross-disciplinary research in the global city of Chicago. Our department’s mission is to provide distinctive and relevant education in the chemical sciences at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and carry out world-class research and scholarly work with relevance to contemporary problems facing society and industry.

Our faculty and staff strive to provide an excellent learning experience for our students. With the long and rich history of chemistry at Illinois Tech, we work tirelessly on developing specialized and interdisciplinary degree programs, curricula, and research projects that are adapted to current needs and trends. Our degree programs accentuate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in order to better prepare our students for various career paths in industry, academia, and government agencies. The supportive environment that our department provides maximizes the educational experience: small class sizes, close mentoring, interdisciplinary research, innovative projects, real-world internships, and energetic student organizations. We invite you to explore our undergraduate, graduate, and professional master’s programs for details.

Our department’s research profile spans three interdisciplinary areas of modern chemistry on campus and at the nearby Argonne National Laboratory: biological chemistry, computational chemistry, and materials chemistry. The department’s state-of-the-art computational facility supports innovative research and teaching activities. Exciting advances in stem cell research, cancer treatment, biosensing, and single-molecule detection are being made within the department. Several chemistry faculty members are engaged in materials research with an emphasis on functional materials for renewal energy and sustainable environmental application. We actively collaborate with peers near and far. Our faculty’s research has been continuously supported by grants and contracts from various federal agencies, industries, and private foundations. We diligently involve graduate and undergraduate students, as well as postdoctoral associates in our research projects.

We thank all of you for your continuing support and invite you to visit the campus to see the many transformative changes taking place within our department. We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you in person.

Yuanbing Mao
Chair, Department of Chemistry