Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Chemistry

About

Saint Louis University’s chemistry Ph.D. program offers specializations, including traditional areas of analytical, physical, organic and inorganic chemistry, as well as cross-disciplinary areas of materials and biological chemistry. Students must complete intensive research. The SLU PhD chemistry program offers students: Close mentoring relationships, Opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary research and Small research group size. Graduate students in SLU's Department of Chemistry have access to a number of research tools, including: Bruker 400 and 700 MHz NMR spectrometers, Bruker-EMX EPR, UV-Vis and FTIR spectrometers, Research-grade spectrofluorometers, GC-MS and LC-MS, Electrochemical analyzers, Gas chromatographs, A scanning electron micrograph, Computational facilities with modern molecular software, A Bruker CCD X-ray diffractometer facility. Our graduate students are active in the research areas of analytical, organic, physical, synthetic, materials, environmental and biological chemistry. Our research groups regularly publish in top-ranked journals and present at national and international conferences. Research is externally supported by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Petroleum Research Fund and American Heart Association, among others. Graduates will be able to demonstrate advanced-level knowledge in both synthesis and materials chemistry and analytical and physical chemistry methods, with a higher level of knowledge expected in the student’s area of research. Graduates will be able to use standard search tools and retrieval methods to obtain information about a topic, substance, technique or issue relating to chemistry and assess relevant studies from the chemical literature. Graduates will be able to acquire the basic tools, including chemical practices and theories, needed to conduct advanced chemical research. Students will become proficient in their specialized area of chemistry and complete an advanced, independent research project resulting in peer-reviewed publications. 

Career Path  

Graduate career path includes Research Scientist (Chemistry), Principal Investigator (Chemistry), Forensic Chemistry Specialist, Laboratory Director, Medicinal Chemistry Researcher, Materials Science Researcher, Environmental Chemistry Researcher, Polymer Chemistry Researcher, Pharmaceutical Scientist (Doctoral Level), Energy & Sustainability Chemist, Quantum Chemistry Researcher, Toxicology Researcher, Green Chemistry Researcher, Nanotechnology Scientist, Computational Chemistry Specialist, Regulatory Affairs Specialist (Chemicals/Pharma), Chemical Data Scientist (Doctoral Level), Industrial Chemistry Consultant, Chemical Safety Specialist, Science Policy Analyst (Chemistry Focus), Agricultural Chemistry Researcher, Chemical Manufacturing Researcher, Biotechnology Research Scientist, Cosmetic Chemistry Researcher, Academic Careers (Faculty, Department Chair, Dean).