College of Chemistry

The importance of nurturing our undergraduate students

January 13, 2019
by Marge d'Wylde | College of Chemistry

Alexandra Brown receives Hertz Foundation FellowshipThe Fannie and John Hertz Foundation announced its new class of fellows for 2018 in the spring, naming alumna Alexandra Brown (B.S. Chem, ’17) one of ten newly minted graduate students as a recipient. As an undergraduate at Berkeley, Brown worked in the research group of Professor John Arnold studying titanium-aluminum heterobimetallics supported by bridging hydride ligands.

Drug sponge could minimize side effects of cancer treatment

January 9, 2019
by Robert Sanders | UC Berkeley Public Affairs

scientists discover new drug spongeWith the help of sponges inserted in the bloodstream to absorb excess drugs, doctors and scientists are hoping to prevent the dangerous side effects of toxic chemotherapy agents or even deliver higher doses to knock back tumors, like liver cancer, that don’t respond to more benign treatments.

Cracking the code to soot formation

September 7, 2018
Sciencedaily.com | DOE/Sandia National Laboratories

industrial sootThe longstanding mystery of soot formation, which combustion scientists have been trying to explain for decades, appears to be finally solved, thanks to research led by scientists at Sandia National Laboratories. This groundbreaking work was published in 'Science' magazine with involvement from scientists at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley Lab.

Turning chemical bonds inside out

July 23, 2018


Richmond Sarpong research teamImagine a future where chemists could restructure the morphine molecule to have the opiate pain management value but not the addictive side effect. That is one possible outcome of an exciting new process being reported in Science magazine from the chemistry lab of Richmond Sarpong at UC Berkeley.

The never-ending race to concoct the bluest blue

September 7, 2018
By Priscilla Frank | Huffington Post

quantum blue pigmentIn an underground lab in California, scientists have created a new hue called Quantum Blue. Fifth-year Ph.D. chemistry students Arunima Balan and Joseph Swabeck are on the trail to the blueset blue. Paul Alivisatos, Samsung distinguished professor of nanoscience and nanotechnology opened up his lab and assigned Balan and Swabeck to work on the fascinating problem of creating the new pigment color using quantum dot technology with artist Olga Alexopoulou.

The College of Chemistry is ranked No.1 globally in 2019 by U.S. News

November 5, 2018
by Marge d'Wylde | College of Chemistry

UC Berkeley College of Chemistry ranked number 1

The College of Chemistry at UC Berkeley has retained the world’s No.1 spot in the 2019 U.S. News and World Report Education rankings as the best global university for chemistry. The U.S. News & World Report’s fifth annual Best Global University Rankings, made public last week, focuses on the publication of academic research and on reputation. This year, 1,250 universities in 75 countries were evaluated.

UC dominates new U.S. News ranking of public universities

September 11, 2018
by Public Affairs, UC Berkeley

Campanile, Berkeley campus

The University of California dominates the latest ranking of public universities from U.S. News and World Report, claiming six spots in the top 12 and seven in the top 30. UCLA and UC Berkeley joust for position at the top of the list, in first and second place among public universities.

CBE Professor Clayton Radke receives 2018 Faculty Outstanding Mentorship of GSIs award

October 22, 2018
by Marge d'Wylde | College of Chemistry

Clayton Radke wins Faculty GSI Mentorship award

Each spring graduate students are invited to nominate faculty members for the Faculty Award for Outstanding Mentorship of Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs.) Typically each nomination is supported by several GSIs who have worked with the honoree. The award, sponsored by the Graduate Council’s Advisory Committee for GSI Affairs and the GSI Teaching & Resource Center, is presented as a surprise in the faculty member’s classroom, with the GSIs and other departmental faculty and staff present in the fall.

Rui Wang joins Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering faculty at UC Berkeley

October 30, 2018

Rui Wang

The College of Chemistry is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Rui Wang as assistant professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) commencing January 2019. Dr. Wang’s lab will be housed in the Pitzer Center for Theoretical Chemistry. Martin Head-Gordon, Kenneth S. Pitzer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry commented, "As Director of the Pitzer Center, I am thrilled to see CBE further developing its research strengths in polymer and soft materials theory with the hiring of Rui Wang. All eight existing faculty members of the Center look forward to welcoming Rui to our community, and enjoying scientific interactions with him."

Semisynthetic artemisinin anti-malarials reach African children

August 15, 2014
by Michael Barnes, College of Chemistry Editor

Jay Keasling with children in a village outside Nairobi, Kenya. (Photo by Gabrielle Tenenbaumn)1.7 million treatments of semisynthetic artemisinin have shipped to Africa, where they will treat malaria sufferers in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger and Nigeria over the next few months. This shipment is the culmination of a 13-year project in the lab of CBE professor Jay Keasling. Enough semisynthetic artemisinin has been produced for 70 million treatments, and the capacity exists to produce 100-150 million treatments annually.