Our department is a national leader for teaching, research and innovation in the fundamental
chemical and biochemical sciences that are helping shape America’s future.
The University of South Carolina was chartered in 1803, and is one of the oldest state
flagship research universities in the country. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
has been an integral part of the university. Our first recorded hour exam dates back
to 1851, and our first research paper in an American Chemical Society journal was
published in February, 1914.
Today, the Department has grown to a vibrant and productive department of 32 tenure-track faculty, 612
undergraduate majors, and over 145 Ph.D. graduate students (as of Fall, 2018). The three undergraduate major tracks in Chemistry, and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology accounted for 85 B.S.
degrees awarded in the 2017 – 2018 academic year. The Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry contributes strongly to the mission of the College of Arts and Sciences
by providing broad support for STEM majors, as well as others on pre-professional
tracks. Over 7,900 students were taught by our faculty and instructors in Fall 2017
alone, and we are on track to teach over 15,000 undergraduates for the 2017 – 2018
academic year.
News
Congratulations to Chuanbing Tang
Chuanbing Tang received a Special Creativity Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a two year total amount of $264,00.00 for his project entitled "General Strategies Toward Mechanically Robust Biobased Polymers and Composites."
Congratulations to Caroline Rohlfing
Caroline Rohlfing (advised by Brian Benicewicz) won a third place award at the 2021 National Graduate Research Polymer Conference poster competition.
Congratulations to Susan Richardson
Susan Richardson received an award from the National Science Foundation for a total amount of $420,000 for her project entitled "Collaborative Proposal: Treatment of Cyanotoxins by UV/Chlorine: Optimizing Removal While Developing Strategies to Minimize Disinfection Byproducts and Toxicity"
Congratulations to Mackenzie Wenczkowski
Congratulations to Mackenzie Wenczkowski on receiving the Women in Defense - Palmetto Chapter Scholarship for a total amount of $2500.00
Congratulations to Hui Wang
He received a grant from Clene Nanomedicine Inc. for a total amount of $75,767 for his project entitled "Characterization of the Physiochemical and Catalytic Properties of CNM-Au8"
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This award recognizes her extensive outreach, public awareness, and mentoring efforts.
For her career of work to keep drinking water safe, usc chemistry professor Susan
Richardson has been elected a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement
of Science.
Read more in the UofSC Today article
Department YouTube Channel
An introduction to the department highlighting the departmental strengths, with departmental
and divisional overviews.
If you are thinking of investing in the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,
we recommend donating to the Chemistry and Biochemistry Enhancement Fund . If you have given in the past, we appreciate your continued support!