What does it take to lead in chemistry research today? At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the Department of Chemistry is answering that question with bold ideas, hands-on collaboration, and a focus on solving real-world problems.

As the largest chemistry graduate programme in New England, it brings together over 150 graduate students and more than 20 research-active faculty. They’re tackling pressing challenges — from healthcare to energy to the environment. Recent breakthroughs include a live-cell fluorescence imaging system, new approaches to RNA synthesis, and cleaner technologies for diesel emissions. These projects are driving impact in biotech, materials science, and beyond.

Hence, the department ranks #38 in the US, according to Research.com, and sits among the top 200 chemistry departments worldwide. It offers PhD students access to cutting-edge facilities, expert mentorship, and a research culture designed to push boundaries. The Chemistry Graduate Programme itself is structured to stretch students intellectually while equipping them to lead as independent researchers.

“Approximately 80% of our Chemistry PhD graduates transition to research scientist positions in industry, largely within the Northeast region and in the biotech and materials arenas,” says Professor Michael Barnes, Graduate Programme Director.

“The rest take postdoctoral appointments, split roughly equally among traditional academic postdocs at universities and postdoctoral training appointments within industrial research and development departments.”

Walk through campus, and you’ll find chemistry everywhere, literally. With faculty spread across five buildings, the Department of Chemistry is a physical and academic hub, linking disciplines and driving innovation. It reflects the nature of the field itself: central, collaborative, and always evolving.

Programmes like the Chemistry–Biology Interface Programme bring this to life. Here, students from chemical and biological science backgrounds work together to explore the molecular mechanics of life. Guided by faculty experts in structural biology, signal transduction, and more, they use the tools of chemistry to untangle biological complexity.

In the Biotechnology Training Programme, chemistry meets engineering and life sciences. Students might work on producing valuable compounds in cultured plant cells or dive into cutting-edge fields like protein and metabolic engineering, regenerative medicine, or genetic engineering. The projects are practical, interdisciplinary, and often industry-facing. 

The Molecular and Cellular Biology Programme takes an even broader view, training students across the full spectrum of biological science. With faculty spanning molecular biophysics, developmental biology, and biomedicine, students gain diverse perspectives and rich opportunities for cross-disciplinary discovery.

It all runs on serious support: over US$10 million in annual research funding and access to advanced instrumentation, digital learning platforms, and state-of-the-art facilities. Home to the largest chemistry programme in New England, UMass Amherst truly gives students the environment, and the edge to lead.

A campus built on chemistry

Hear from the students

Hear from the students