Research
Research interests of Chemistry faculty span both the traditional sub-disciplines of chemistry and many emerging, interdisciplinary areas of modern chemical research. Interdisciplinary research is found both at the boundaries of the traditional subfields and at the intersection of chemistry with other fields, including biology, nanoscience and materials, biomedical engineering, and physics. Several of these interdisciplinary areas are visible as strengths of the University as a whole: initiatives in chemical biology and imaging, for example, are united with the resources and expertise of the Duke University Medical Center, while departmental research programs in imaging and materials are aligned with similar efforts in the Pratt School of Engineering.
As new opportunities emerge and the lines between traditional fields continue to blur, however, cutting-edge research in the core areas of chemistry is no less vibrant. Research groups within the department are developing the next generation of theoretical methods in order to predict not only the properties and function of particular molecules, but also the molecular structure necessary to achieve a particular function. Others are designing and building new instruments and methods that provide unprecedented range and resolution in physical and analytical measurements. Several groups embrace the challenge of creating new molecules through inorganic and organic chemical synthesis, a pursuit that, in many respects, remains uniquely the domain of chemistry relative to other disciplines. Ultimately, it is the dynamic and often collaborative blend of all of these activities that creates the atmosphere of excitement and discovery that defines our department.
Lists of Faculty:
*By Areas of Research Emphasis