Welcome to the UW Department of Chemistry! Please review the pages below for information about our degree programs, research opportunities, and resources to support graduate students. We hear from our students that our expansive research facilities and accessible faculty contribute to an excellent graduate experience. If you need financial assistance to help you realize your dreams, financial support is available. If you are serious about pursuing your graduate education with us, please review the admissions section.
Graduate Programs
Graduate Program News
Congratulations to Chris Lowe, who defended his Ph.D. work “Inducing Chirality in CdS Nanocrystals with Biomolecules” on February 25, 2026. Chris was a student in Professor Brandi Cossairt’s research group and spent his time synthesizing and studying inorganic interfaces for inorganic-organic hybrid materials.
Congratulations to Langxuan Yang, who defended his Ph.D. work “Boron-mediated Transition-metal Catalyzed Selective Synthesis of Diverse Alkenes” on February 11, 2026. Langxuan was a student in Professor Gojko Lalic’s research group and worked on the development of advanced synthetic methodologies for complex and challenging targets in organic chemistry. He has accepted a postdoctoral position with Professor Yang Yang at USCB, where he will focus on the development of biocatalytic strategies to…
Chemistry PhD alum Jonathan Cox spent most of 2025 in Kyrgyzstan, helping farmers improve their soil—and their crops—through soil testing. Continue reading on UW College of Arts & Sciences News
Congratulations to Jodie Tokihiro who defended her Ph.D. work "Advances in Open Microfluidics from Fundamental Flow Dynamics to Environmental and Translational Science Applications” on October 8, 2025. Jodie was a student in Professor Ashleigh B. Theberge’s research group. She studied fundamental open capillary microfluidics to expand the microfluidics toolbox for researchers across many disciplines. Jodie’s work also focused on the application of these technologies for andrological and…
Congratulations to Farhad Akrami, who defended his Ph.D. work, "Surface Passivation of Lead Halide Perovskite Semiconductors for Improved Stability and Performance" on November 20, 2025. Farhad was a student in Professor David Ginger's research group, where he investigated how molecular surface treatments can suppress ion migration in lead halide perovskites and how tuning treatment conditions influences interfacial chemistry, material stability, and optoelectronic performance. After graduation…
Congratulations to Lauren Brown, who defended her Ph.D. work “Engineering Fluidic Tools for Translational Science: Developing In Vitro Tissues and Remote Sampling Platforms” on October 3, 2025. Lauren was a student in Professor Ashleigh Theberge’s research group where she worked on two different analytical chemistry projects focused on translational applications for human health. Her first project was on developing mini tissues in the lab for studying tissue junctions and disease interfaces,…
In an exciting breakthrough, a team of scientists led by Ashleigh Theberge, professor of chemistry, and Nate Sniadecki, professor of mechanical engineering, published a paper in Advanced Science detailing a new 3D-printed device known as STOMP (Suspended Tissue Open Microfluidic Patterning) that provides tissue engineers with the ability to examine how cells respond to various mechanical and physical cues, while creating distinct regions in a suspended tissue.The first authors of the…
Chemistry graduate student Sena Noaman was selected to participate in the 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Chemistry, which took place from June 29 to July 4, 2025. Only young scientists up to the age of 35 are eligible to apply to participate and selection is a once in a lifetime opportunity, as attending a past meeting renders an applicant ineligible for future consideration. Doctoral students who are selected must show a genuine interest in science and research, show a…
Congratulations to all our graduates!
On June 12, 2025, the UW Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry honored our newest graduates with a joyful ceremony at the Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. We celebrated students earning baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees, surrounded by family, friends, and faculty.
Chairs Munira Khalil (Chemistry) and Justin Kollman (Biochemistry) led the celebration, joined by faculty from both departments.
A special thank you to our…