Chemistry

About the Department

The Department of Chemistry offers a range of graduate educational opportunities with strengths in both the fundamental areas of the discipline and in emerging fields and applications. Students may obtain the PhD degree from Hunter College jointly with the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center with concentrations in: Analytical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Biophysical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Nano-technology and Materials Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry. In any subdiscipline, PhD students can opt for an interdisciplinary radiochemistry component that is funded by a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (NSF-IGERT) program. Additionally, students may also obtain the MA degree in Biochemistry jointly offered by the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Biology from Hunter College, or an MA in education jointly offered by the Department of Chemistry and the School of Education of Hunter College. Graduate level courses are offered at Hunter College and in the CUNY Graduate Center. Master’s programs can be completed as a full or part–time student, with or without a research thesis. Most graduate courses are offered in the evening to facilitate enrollment of part–time students.

A major goal of our graduate programs is to train research scientists to create new knowledge that impacts both fundamental scientific principles and addresses societal needs. The continuing success and future development of most areas in academic, industrial, and government institutions will increasingly depend on a well-trained science workforce for innovation, planning, and policy. The vibrant and well-funded research labs of our faculty in the Department of Chemistry at Hunter College provide the essential part of research training of the graduate programs. Students in Ph.D. program are expected to start their independent research at the end of the first year of study, and to complete their thesis on an original research subject under the supervision of our faculty. Students can also opt to pursue an independent pedagogical research project as part of their thesis research. The research activities are further supported by an array of shared facilities and the state-of-art instruments including the NMR facility, the X-ray crystallography and electron microscope facility and the Mass-spectrometry facility. Other facilities and instruments are available in the Department of Biosciences and in the NIH funded Hunter Gene center.

Programs and Courses

Programs and Courses in Chemistry

Program for Teachers of Adolescent Education (Grades 7-12) – Chemistry TEP MA

See the School of Education section of this catalog for additional information on admission and program requirements.

Adolescent Chemistry - MA / Advanced Certificate

Doctor of Philosophy

Students are encouraged to apply directly to the PhD program, which is offered in conjuntion with the CUNY Graduate School and University Center. PhD dissertation research is carried out in the Hunter College Department of Chemistry. A PhD in biochemistry is also offered in conjuntion with the CUNY Graduate School and University Center. For further information contact Professor Akira Kawamura, 1312 North Building, (212) 650-3095 or visit the website at http://www.gc.cuny.edu.

Administration and Faculty

Department Office:

1307 North
(212) 772-5330
Website: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/chemistry

Chair:

Charles M. Drain
1408 North
cdrain@hunter.cuny.edu

PhD Adviser:

Akira Kawamura
1312 North
(212) 650-3095
akawamura@hunter.cuny.edu

Ph.D Deputy in Biochemistry:

Frida Kleiman
1309 North
(212) 772-5355
fkleiman@hunter.cuny.edu

MA in Chemistry Adviser:

William Sweeney
1321A North
(212) 772-5335
wsweeney@hunter.cuny.edu

MA in Biochemistry Adviser:

Yujia Xu
1304 North
(212) 772-4310
yujia.xu@hunter.cuny.edu

MA in TEP Adviser:

Pamela Mills
1319A North
(212) 772-5331
pam.mills@hunter.cuny.edu

Educational Sequence Adviser:

Steve Demeo
908 West
(212) 772-4776
sdemeo@hunter.cuny.edu

Faculty

Chemistry

Spiro Alexandratos, Professor; PhD, University of California, Berkeley; Polymer Chemistry

Manashi Chatterjee, Lecturer Doctoral;

Joseph J. Dannenberg, Professor; PhD, California Institute of Technology; Organic and Physical Chemistry; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry

Charles M. Drain, Professor; PhD, Tufts; Bioinorganic Chemistry; Adjunct Faculty, Rockefeller; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry

Stephen DeMeo; Associate Professor; EdD, Teachers College, Columbia; joint appointment in School of Education; Curriculum development

Lynn Francesconi, Professor; PhD, Illinois; Inorganic Chemistry and Materials Chemistry, Radiochemistry; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry

Dixie J. Goss, Gertrude B. Elion Endowed Scholar and Professor; PhD, Nebraska; Biophysical Chemistry; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biology

Nancy Greenbaum, Professor; PhD, Pennsylvania; Biochemistry; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry, Biochemistry

Wayne W. Harding, Assistant Professor; PhD University of the West Indies; Medicinal Chemistry, Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry

Akira Kawamura, Associate Professor; PhD, Columbia; Bioorganic Chemistry, Genomics; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry, Biochemistry

Frida Kleiman, Associate Professor; PhD, Nat. University of Cordoba, Argentina; Biochemistry; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biology

Namby Krishnamachari, Assistant Professor; PhD, CUNY; Vibration Spectroscopy

Louis Massa, Professor; PhD, Georgetown; Physical Chemistry, Biophysics; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry, Physics

Hiroshi Matsui, Professor and Department Chair; PhD, Purdue; Materials Chemistry; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry, Biochemistry

Donna McGregor, Lecturer; PhD, CUNY

Pamela Mills, Professor; PhD, Wisconsin; Theoretical Chemistry, Chemical Education; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry, Urban Education

David R. Mootoo, Professor; PhD, Maryland ; Organic Chemistry; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry

Gary J. Quigley, Professor; PhD, SUNY (Syracuse); Biophysical Chemistry

Angelo Santoro, Professor; PhD, Kansas; Organic Chemistry

Gabriela Smeureanu; Lecturer; PhD, CUNY

William Sweeney, Professor; PhD, Iowa; Physical Biochemistry, Chemical Education

Yujia Xu, Associate Professor; PhD, Connecticut; Biophysics; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry, Biochemistry

Shengping Zheng, Assistant Professor; PhD, Columbia; Organic Chemistry; Member of Doctoral Faculty Chemistry