Research Overview

Dive Deep. In close collaboration with the School of Medicine and the School of Engineering, and particularly with the Departments of Biological Sciences and Physics, students have valuable opportunities to not only excel in the traditional disciplines of chemistry, but also to investigate the many ways that chemistry intersects with other fields. This diversity of inquiry makes it possible for both graduate and undergraduate students to customize their education to their specific interests and career goals, as well as contribute to some of the most exciting new scientific contributions underway today. Interdisciplinary research in chemistry is available with particular emphasis on chemical biology, environmental chemistry, materials chemistry, and nanotechnology.

Faculty in the Department of Chemistry conduct wide-ranging, vital research, with many leading their own labs. To learn more about the research engaged by our faculty, see the full list of our faculty.

Interdisciplinary Initiatives

As chemical research becomes more sophisticated and interdisciplinary, an increasingly broad range of instrumental techniques is required to advance scientific knowledge. The Department of Chemistry encourages interdisciplinary research through collaborations within the university and medical school.

Interdisciplinary research in chemistry is available with particular emphasis on chemical biology, environmental chemistry, materials chemistry, and nanotechnology.

The following interdisciplinary programs provide exceptional opportunities for highly motivated graduate researchers:

Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology

Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Vanderbilt Institute for Integrative Biosystems Research and Education

Vanderbilt University Center for Structural Biology