Research Labs

The Chemistry Department & Biochemistry at Baylor University currently consists of 21 full-time faculty members and offers dynamic research programs representing all major subdisciplines of chemistry. Individual research groups typically consist of 3 to 4 graduate students, facilitating close personal interaction with the research director in a genuinely cooperative and friendly environment. The Department strives to provide the best educational program possible in both the classroom and research laboratory, and many of our faculty are recognized leaders in their field.

Faculty research programs are well supported by competitive extramural funding from agencies such as The National Institutes of Health, The National Science Foundation, The American Chemical Society, The American Cancer Society, and a number of industrial and private concerns. As a Texas university, individual researchers at Baylor are also eligible to obtain funding from the Robert A. Welch Foundation, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. A number of research groups have active funding from these prestigious organizations. The Welch Foundation also supports the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair in Chemistry at Baylor University, a position which is always occupied by an outstanding chemist with an international reputation.

Infrastructure

Housed in the New Sciences Building, the Department is well-equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation to support the research efforts of its faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduate researchers. Modern, well-equipped individual research labs are supported by excellent departmental facilities, including a Bruker 360 MHz NMR, a Varian 500 MHz NMR, a VG/Fisons ProSpec high-resolution GC/mass spectrometer, and an Enraf-Nonius CAD4-F single-crystal and Bruker-Nonius X8 Apex X-ray diffractometers. Major Departmental equipment is supervised and maintained by a full-time Director of Instrumentation, Dr. James Karban, who also provides training and instruction in instrumental operation. The Department has a fully supported chemical and biochemical stockroom. In addition, a fully equipped machine shop, staffed by a full-time machinist, is available for the fabrication of specialized research equipment.

The chemistry library, located nearby in the Jesse H. Jones Library, adequately serves the research and educational goals of our department. The Science and Engineering Reference section of the Jones Library subscribes to over 220 chemistry periodicals and maintains an up-to-date collection of books, monographs, collective volumes, and serials covering all major areas of chemistry and related disciplines. Student-initiated, on-line computer searches of Chemical Abstracts and Current Contents can be conducted from computers located throughout the Department and many journals are also available on-line.

For research projects that require high-speed computation, access to the VAX mainframe computer is available. A variety of desktop computers are located throughout the Department for word processing and more modest computational needs. The Department is fully networked campus-wide with electronic mail accounts, and access to Internet provides an avenue for rapid national and international communication.

Baylor Sciences Building

Seminar Program

The Chemistry & Biochemistry Department at Baylor University enthusiastically supports many programs which provide a broad forum for the dissemination of scientific knowledge. Foremost among these programs is the Gooch-Stephens Lecture Series, which for the past 25 years has brought internationally recognized chemists to campus on a regular basis. Our Colloquium Series provides weekly contact with other outstanding, off-campus researchers, who typically devote a day to interacting with faculty and students and presenting their latest research accomplishments. Welch Tour Speakers and American Chemical Society Tour Speakers visit the Department regularly. Finally, the Graduate Seminar Program, held throughout the fall and spring semesters, provides a forum for graduate students to learn the art of oral communication through presentation of seminars on topics related to their research.

Collaborative Research

The Department also participates in the Baylor Biomedical Research Institute in collaboration with the Baylor Medical Center in Dallas. This interaction stimulates both individual and collaborative research efforts which are at the forefront of the rapidly evolving interplay of chemistry with medicine and medical technology. Several of our faculty have joint appointments at the Biomedical Research Institute, with students conducting research projects in both Waco and Dallas. Medically related research is also an important part of the work of the Center for Drug Discovery, housed within the department.

Summary

The combined creative and energetic efforts of outstanding faculty, undergraduate researchers, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows at Baylor University provides an extremely dynamic environment that fosters high productivity and encourages the establishment of valuable collaborative interactions. The Department stands ready to support your long-range goals enthusiastically with individualized, high-quality programs leading to B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry and biochemistry.