On Friday, October 2, 2026, the University of Utah Department of Chemistry held the PUI Chemistry Symposium. The symposium brought together chemistry faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students to share and learn about the opportunities and unique experiences that primarily undergraduate institutions(PUIs) have to offer. PUIs are educational institutions focused on teaching undergraduate students and optimizing […]

On September 9, 2026, the University of Department of Chemistry hosted one of our newer annual events, the Chemistry Night at the Natural History Museum of Utah. In collaboration with NHMU and the NSF Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry, the Chemistry Department invited the community to spend an evening in the museum participating in exciting […]

  The Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah established the Distinguished Chemistry Alumni Awards in 2011 to recognize and honor our most prominent and successful alumni. We celebrated three of our outstanding alumni on September 25, 2026, in the Department of Chemistry. The awardees held seminars and visited faculty and students in the […]

Dr. Zhenwen Fu arrived at the University of Utah's Department of Chemistry in 1984, having just completed a joint English-training program at UCLA and Zhongshan University after earning his B.S. in Physical and Physical Organic Chemistry at Jilin University. Little did he know, the spectroscopy work he was about to begin would set the foundation […]

Monday, September 14 & Tuesday, September 15, 2026 The University of Utah's Department of Chemistry were pleased on September 14th and 15th to welcome David Russel from Texas A&M University to present at the J. Calvin Giddings Lectureship. The J. Calvin Giddings Lectureship was established in the year 2000 and ever since has hosted outstanding […]

July 15, 2026, in the Department of Chemistry University of Utah’s College of Science runs the ACCESS Scholars program; a program focused on facilitating research along with leadership experiences in science and mathematics for College of Science students. History of ACCESS Originally named the ACCESS Program for Women in Science and Mathematics when it was established in 1991, it had the goal of preparing undergraduate women for success […]

On Saturday, April 26, 2026, we held our semi-annual high-school chemistry teachers’ workshop in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah. Organized by professors Michael Morse, Gina Frey, and Jef Statler, the Saturday-morning event brought together more than 60 high school chemistry teachers from across the region. The workshop promotes learning and discussion […]

The Roberts Group is developing stategies that enable access to polycyclic aromatic molecules with applications in catalysis, materials (optical and electronic), and natural product synthesis. Over the last five years, they have developed chemical methods that enable synthetic access to polycyclic aromatic molecules with increasing numbers of rings. Toward systems with three rings, they developed […]

Michael Grünwald, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Utah, has been honored with the University Distinguished Teaching Award, recognizing his sustained excellence in teaching, mentoring, curriculum development, and commitment to student learning. A faculty member in the Department of Chemistry, Grünwald is widely known for his research in molecular simulation, nanoscience, and crystallization. […]