Chemistry and Biochemestry

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Baylor University offers a unique combination of direct faculty-student training and mentoring, graduate student-operated instrumentation, and growth-focused education leading to impactful science. Our department operates in a close-knit and friendly community. We have research programs in the core areas of chemistry along with more interdisciplinary programs in chemical biology, bioinorganic chemistry, biomedical science and imaging, bioanalytical chemistry, and astrochemistry.

Be Part of Cutting-Edge Research

Baylor's chemists and biochemists work across the entire array of molecular science: pioneering routes to synthesize the most complex organic molecules; designing pharmacons to improve health; synthesizing novel inorganic-organic hybrids; engineering new devices for nano-scale cellular imaging.

Learn Beside Incredible Faculty

By recruiting faculty from the best universities in the world, Baylor's department of chemistry and biochemistry is undergoing rapid expansion. The large faculty to student ratio, and medium-size research groups fosters close apprenticeship, where faculty work alongside graduate students.

Work in State-of-the-Art Facilities

The department is located in one of the largest, well-designed, and integrated science buildings in the world (see video above)! The department consists of well-laid out laboratories with separate office/lab areas, modern fume hoods, and extensive modern instrumentation. This includes all traditional instruments (NMR, MS, X-ray, LC-MS, microscopies for nano-scale science; all student-operated) in addition to more modern instruments including TLC-MS (Thin-Layer Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry), in situ IR reaction monitoring, and robotics for reaction optimization.

News

WACO, Texas (Aug. 22, 2022) – A new review article in Science Advances co-authored by materials science researchers with Baylor University and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab) connects several decades of research on a family of intermetallic crystalline materials to find practical ways to design strongly correlated electronic, magnetic and superconducting phenomena.
WACO, Texas (Aug. 25, 2022) – Baylor University announced today the appointment of Julia Chan, Ph.D., as the inaugural holder of The Tim and Sharalynn Fenn Family Endowed Chair in Materials Science. Chan, a 1993 Baylor graduate who built an international reputation as a leading scientist focused on the discovery of new families of quantum materials, will provide multi-disciplinary leadership for Baylor’s materials science efforts.
WACO, Texas (July 12, 2022) – Baylor University chemist Bryan Shaw, Ph.D., has been awarded a $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to take dramatic steps to open chemistry classes and labs to students with blindness or low vision.

Having Fun in the Heart of Texas

Baylor is Texas' oldest university and is located at its heart, nestled on the Brazos River in the city of Waco. In the past few years Waco has experienced an unprecedented boom in economic development and is now home to some of the best restaurants, coffee shops, and venues for sports and entertainment in all of Texas. And its still an inexpensive and friendly place to live!