Chemistry

Welcome to the home page of the Department of Chemistry at Louisiana State University. For recent news items and regular updates, please visit our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

We have nearly 30 research-active faculty members across a range of topics, including new methods for synthesis of biomedically important compounds, nanomaterials, energy storage, computational models for assorted phenomena, ultra-fast lasers, and designer polymers. Research projects are funded from assorted sources including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Energy and the Louisiana Board of Regents. We have excellent facilities that are maintained by experienced scientists. LSUs Shared Instrumentation Facility (SIF) is located on the ground floor of our new (2012) Chemistry & Materials Building. We have a small number of postdoctoral researchers and about 150 graduate students, along with undergraduates, engaged in cutting-edge research. We take diversity seriously in all our endeavors but are particularly proud of being ranked number one in the US for percent female and percent underrepresented minority PhD graduates from 2005-9 (Laursen & Weston, J. Chem. Ed. 2014, 91, 1762-1776).

Most of our researchers are also active teachers, joined by a strong team of instructors and teaching assistants. During the 2014-15 academic year there were 6,764 enrollments in general chemistry lecture classes. There were 2,350 enrollments in organic chemistry lecture classes, reflecting the large number of pre-professional students that we teach. Enrolments have grown 20-30% for most undergraduate classes over the past five years.

We have three very active student organizations based in our Department: the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS), the Chemistry Graduate Student Council (CGSC) and the National Organization for Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE).

Further information is available through various links on this homepage. Please do not hesitate to contact me (cmtaylor@lsu.edu) with any comments or inquiries. If I cannot help myself, I will be sure to direct you to someone who can address your request.

Carol M. Taylor Professor and Department Chair

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Chemistry