College of Chemistry

CoC launches research hub with BASF, UCLA and Stanford

April 3, 2014
The College of Chemistry has launched a new collaborative research center, the California Research Alliance by BASF (CARA), a multidisciplinary effort focused on innovation and technology transfer. Along with Berkeley and the chemical company BASF, CARA academic partners include UCLA and Stanford University.

College inaugurates Que Family Undergraduate Advising Center

October 14, 2014

Que Family Undergraduate Advising Center Ribbon CuttingThursday, Oct. 9, College of Chemistry Dean Douglas Clark inaugurated the Que Family Undergraduate Advising Center. Located next to the Chemistry Plaza on the ground floor of Gilman Hall, the center consists of four offices for quiet discussions between students and their advisers, an area where students can consult with peer advisers, and a well lit modern commons area where they can read, relax and hold study sessions.

BASF donates $7 million toward construction of new UC Berkeley science and engineering hub

July 13, 2018


Boreskov Institute of CatalysisMartin Brudermüller, Chairman of the Board and CTO, BASF SE has announced a donation of $7 million to UC Berkeley at the California Research Alliance 2018 Summer Symposium.

Chemistry students seek crowd funding for educational board game

October 3, 2017

React!™ boardgame developersOur students are amazing in the Chemistry and Biology departments. They become world class researchers, go on to start life-changing companies and so much more.

CBE opens innovation incubator for student projects

March 18, 2015
CBE Chair Jeff Reimer shows advisory board members around the new innovation incubator.The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering’s innovation incubator lab is open for business. The lab has been created to give student-led projects a formal home in the department.

Chemistry alum Rebecca Abergel joins nuclear engineering faculty

September 18, 2018
Rebecca Abergel

Meet Berkeley's new faculty: Rebecca Abergel, nuclear engineering.

John Arnold appointed Undergraduate Dean

June 19, 2017

John Arnold

The College of Chemistry welcomes chemistry professor John Arnold as the new Undergraduate Dean. His appointment begins July 1, 2017.

How DayGlo went from utility pigment to design world-darling

August 30, 2018


Switzer brothers demonstrate DayGlo colorsToday DayGlo pigments color everything from traffic cones to tennis shoes, but back in the 1930s it was barely used at all. Though Joe and Bob Switzer can lay claim to commercializing fluorescent pigments, they were far from the first people to discover the phenomenon. By the time Joe and Bob created their homemade paint, scientists had already spent years in the laboratory exploring the chemical makeup of glowing substances.

David Schaffer appointed Hubbard Howe Jr Distinguished Chair in Biochemical Engineering

December 26, 2018

David SchafferThe department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) has announced the appointment of David Schaffer as the Hubbard Howe Jr. Distinguished Chair in Biochemical Engineering. Schaffer is a professor of Chemical and Biolmolecular Engineering, Bioengineering, Molecular & Cell Biology, and the Director of the Berkeley Stem Cell Center.

Alum Robin Padilla discusses his postdoc career path: meet the scientific-database developer

December 26, 2018

David SchafferRobin Padilla earned his PhD in chemistry in 2010. He worked as a postdoc and scientific editor before assuming his current role as a product manager with Springer Nature. In this position, he applies his analytical skills to developing databases that help researchers to find the information they need faster.