Research

The Department of Chemistry at Wayne State University has a distinguished research tradition that dates back well before the establishment of the Ph.D. program by Neil Gordon, preceptor of the Gordon Research Conferences, in 1944. In addition to establishing the Ph.D. program (the first in the University) as chairman, Dr. Gordon also initiated the Frontiers in Chemistry seminar series. The first series in 1946 including lectures from Peter Debye, C. C. Price, H. B. Haas, G. T. Seaborg, C. F. Kettering and Henry Eyring. These lectures continue on today, as does a tradition of research excellence that embraces both established and new areas of scientific endeavor. The Ph.D. program continues to offer students the opportunity to work with award-winning scientists and state of the art facilities, while ever keeping abreast of the latest scientific discoveries and advancements.

Interdisciplinary Research & Institutes

Much of the research in the department cuts across traditional boundaries, both within the field of Chemistry and into other disciplines such as Physics, Biology, Engineering, and Medicine. The faculty are further involved in several interdisciplinary institutes housed at Wayne State University:

Institute for Manufacturing Research (IMR)
Institute for Scientific Computing (ISC)
The Institute for Smart Sensors and Integrated Devices (SSID)

The faculty in the Chemistry Department at Wayne State University can be informally assembled into 7 sub-disciplines:

• ANALYTICAL
  (Benderskii, Coleman, Mathews, Poole, Rodgers)
  
  

  Ongoing research within Analytical Chemistry at Wayne State University covers a broad range of methodology including chromatography (Poole), spectroscopy (Benderskii, Coleman), microfluidics (Spence) mass spectrometry (Rodgers), electrochemistry and reaction kinetics. Several current projects are tied to biological and/or environmental problems. Some of the research groups are actively engaged in collaborative projects with other units within the university as well as with governmental and industrial laboratories.
  
  

• BIOCHEMISTRY
  (Benson, Bhagwat, Chow, Pflum, Romano, SantaLucia, Spence)
  

  Wayne State University offers students opportunities for training and research in cutting-edge areas of the field of biochemistry. Recent developments in the understanding of life processes are revolutionizing the directions of biochemical research. These efforts include the genome projects and advances in structural and molecular biology, all of which present unprecedented opportunities for contributions by chemists. The Department of Chemistry at Wayne State has for several decades recognized the advantages of having a biological chemistry component within its program. The current on-going research within the division enables students to obtain solid foundations in chemistry, while carrying out research projects in challenging areas of biochemistry. The breadth of research interests covers nucleic-acid chemistry, protein and peptide chemistry, carbohydrate chemistry, molecular biology, enzymology, carcinogenesis, and drug design.
  
  

• INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  (Allen, Benson, Brock, Chow, Endicott, Verani, Winter)
  

  The research ongoing in inorganic chemistry at Wayne State University is at the forefront of science and reflects the breadth of the discipline. The division of inorganic chemistry offers students training in diverse areas including organometallic chemistry (Winter), materials & solid state chemistry (Benson, Brock, Verani, Winter), coordination chemistry (Verani), spectroscopy (Benson, Endicott), and bioinorganic chemistry (Benson, Chow). Research within this division is highly interdisciplinary, interfacing with biochemistry, biology, and medical fields, as well as physics, engineering, and materials science. Students receive hands-on training on state of the art instrumentation and in modern as well as traditional synthetic techniques and leave well equipped to pursue their career goals.
  
  

• MATERIALS CHEMISTRY
  (Benson, Brock, Verani, Winter)
  

  A number of the faculty in Chemistry have strong interests in the growing field of materials science. Research in this area includes preparation of metal nanoparticles with tunable solubility (Winter), supramolecular coordination chemistry (Verani), optical spectroscopy of unique polymeric and composite materials, creation of biosensing protein-nanosphere assemblies (Benson), and the synthesis and characterization of transition metal phosphide nanoparticles and nanostructures with novel optical and magnetic properties (Brock). Several faculty participate in interdisciplinary materials science institutes at Wayne State University including the Institute for Manufacturing Research and the Smart Sensors Institute. There is also a strong tradition of collaborative research both with groups at Wayne State University and at other institutions.
  
  

• ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  (Andreana, Cha, Crich, Guo, Pflum, Rigby, Suits, Winter)

  No matter what area of organic research you may wish to pursue, we have a group specializing in that area. Our faculty's activities span the entire spectrum of contemporary research from bio-organic to physical organic and organic synthesis. Noteworthy areas of particular current focus include: applications of organometallic chemistry to synthesis, designing and detecting protein modifications, carbohydrate chemistry, and the synthesis of pharmacologically active natural products. In addition to our distinguished faculty, we are also fortunate to have first-rate instrument support for our research endeavors here at WSU, including four high field NMR spectrometers, several mass spectrometers, and a state-of-the-art X-ray laboratory. Of course, each lab is well equipped with relevant research instruments as well.
  
  

• PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY
  (Benderskii, Chernyak, Endicott, McClain, Goldfield, Rodgers, Rueda, SantaLucia, Schlegel, Suits)

  Representative areas of physical chemistry at Wayne State University include probing interfaces using coupled spectroscopy-microscopy (Benderskii), gas-phase biomolecule reactions (Rodgers), the study of electron transport phenomena (Endicott), biological structure determination via nuclear magnetic resonance (SantaLucia), chemical dynamics (Suits) and light scattering (McClain). There are more than a dozen laser systems operating from the infrared to the vacuum ultraviolet, and from femtosecond to continuous wave, a new 700 MHz NMR, a guided ion beam spectrometer, and a number of ultra high vacuum systems.
  
  

• THEORETICAL/COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY
  (Chernyak, Goldfield, McClain, SantaLucia, Schlegel, Suits)

  A variety of computational techniques including quantum dynamics (Goldfield, McClain), statistical mechanics (Chernyak), molecular orbital calculations (Schlegel), and biochemical informatics (SantaLucia) are employed to elucidate important chemical processes. Research in theoretical chemistry makes use of several IBM RS/6000 and Silicon Graphics workstations, various PC clusters, a Sun Enterprise multiprocessor system and the Wayne State's 24 processor IBM SP cluster, as well as the NSF supercomputing centers. In addition to collaborative research within the department, the faculty is an active participant in the interdisciplinary Institute for Scientific Computing.
  
  

  Students will find a number of unique opportunities at Wayne State University through the Scientific Computing Program. Traineeships are available through the NSF-IGERT Interdisciplinary Traineeship in High Performance Computing Applications program, and students have an opportunity to work towards a Certificate of Scientific Computing in addition to their advanced degree.
  
  

  Choosing a Research Advisor

  
  

  Most new graduate students will choose an advisor by the end of the first semester. The process involves discussing research interests with as many professors as possible, including some outside of the main area of interest. You are expected to speak with at least 5 faculty, however, you may benefit from speaking with more than five to include all members of a division. You may select any member of the graduate chemistry faculty as your first choice as a research advisor.
  
  

  Course Requirements

  
  

  Most students will take six courses during the first two semesters. When entering the program, five proficiency exams are offered which cover biochemistry, analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry. Students must demonstrate proficiency in at least three of these areas by the end of the first year (by passing exams and/or taking appropriate courses). Initially, the results of these exams (taken during the first week), in conjunction with the students particular research interests, are employed in determining the first semester's course of study. The selected research advisor will help determine the second and third semester of course work.