The central mission of the College of Chemistry is to advance society through education and research, and we have made it our responsibility to fulfill this mission, year in and year out, for more than 140 years.
Our two departments provide fundamental and applied studies of an outstanding caliber. The remarkable breadth and depth of resources available to our students readies them as chemists and chemical engineers to address society’s most urgent 21st-century issues.
College faculty have been leaders at the frontiers of knowledge since 1872. Current pioneering research includes premier programs in catalysis, thermodynamics, chemical biology, atmospheric chemistry, the development of polymer, optical and semiconductor materials, and nanoscience, among others.
Check out College of Chemistry news articles and featured videos, as well as our biannual college magazine, Catalyst.
The College of Chemistry is consistently ranked as one of the best places on earth to learn, teach, and create new tools in the chemical sciences. This is no accident. It’s the direct result of exceptional scholarship as well as thousands and thousands of donations from our loyal alumni and friends.
A new thorium-aluminum complex is the first in which an actinide element donates electrons when bonding with a metal.Read more about Actinide acts as electron donor for first time
A newly developed sorbent-based alternative has recently shown that it can harvest atmospheric moisture even when the relative humidity drops to around 10...Read more about Atmospheric harvesters will enable arid nations to drink from thin air
Female leaders in science and advocacy embrace the fast-growing business.Read more about Women shaping the cannabis industry
The National Academy of Sciences has named five new members from UC Berkeley -- Yang Dan, Ehud Isacoff, Umesh Vazirani, Kristie Boering...Read more about National Academy of Sciences adds five Berkeley faculty members to its ranks
Professor of Chemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology, Michael Marletta, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the State University of New York at Fredonia.Read more about Michael Marletta to receive State University of New York Honorary Doctor of Science degree
The world is getting closer to using Crispr to detect a disease quickly, accurately, and cheaply thanks to a new company co-...Read more about CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna is co-founder of new biotech company
Berkeley Lab, Somorjai researchers say hybrid approach could lead to next-generation catalysts.Read more about In Pursuit of Perfect Chemistry: A Vision for Unifying Catalysis
Celebrate earth week by getting involved. Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC) and Environmental & Sustainability Student Organizations have developed lots of ways to get involved. View the schedule here.Read more about UC Berkeley celebrates earth week
The collaborators hope new advances in chemical biology could open up the human proteome.Read more about Novartis and Berkeley researchers team up to tackle the industry’s toughest drug targets
Dean Douglas Clark recently announced changes in the College of Chemistry leadership.Read more about Changes in College leadership announced