Chemistry

Chemistry News

  • Assistant Professor Sayan Banerjee.
  • Banerjee Brings Machine Learning to Materials Science
  • Assistant Professor Sayan Banerjee is part of UT’s initiative to be a leader in advancing science-informed artificial intelligence to meet national priorities. Assistant Professor Sayan Banerjee joined the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in fall 2025 as part of the university’s Science-Informed AI cluster.  The Banerjee Group will focus on building predictive chemical theories to address […]
  • Kevin Shaughnessy stands in front a whiteboard with chemical equations.
  • Shaughnessy Opens a New Chapter in Chemistry at UT
  • New Department Head Kevin Shaughnessy is devoted to elevating chemistry research, fostering innovation, and ensuring students have an unparalleled experience at UT. Professor Kevin Shaughnessy joined the College of Arts and Sciences on January 1 as head of the Department of Chemistry. He comes to UT from the University of Alabama, where he was the […]
  • Vu (Lynn) Nguyen, winner of the oral presentation award, holds a lavalier microphone in one hand and a clicker in the other as she delivers her oral presentation.
  • 2026 Undergraduate Awards
  • On Saturday, April 11th the Rocky Top Chemistry Undergraduate Research Symposium took place in Mossman Hall, with undergraduate students participating in poster and oral presentation competitions. Following the symposium, chemistry undergraduates, family and friends attended the accompanying awards dinner where symposium awards and undergraduate scholarships were distributed. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! Symposium […]
  • Professor David Jenkins
  • Jenkins Publication Investigates Metal-Organic Nanotube Interactions
  • Chemistry professor David Jenkins along with his graduate student Jacob Barrett and postdoc Phattananawee Nalaoh recently published an article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). The article, entitled “Intertube Interactions in Multivariant Metal-Organic Nanotubes” highlights Jenkins’s exploration of the fundamental understanding of metal-organic nanotubes (MONTs). MONTs are a relatively new 1D subclass […]
  • Joseph Clark stands in front of an academic building, smiling at the camera.
  • Clark-Led Partnership Aims to Deliver Safer, Better Tolerated Drugs
  • Joseph Clark, assistant professor of chemistry, recently published new research describing a method for precision control of the structure of deuterated compounds, which could impact future drug discovery as it relates to patient health. Deuterium is a naturally occurring isotope of hydrogen that is being leveraged in drug development as either a means to improve […]
  • Student Spotlight: Sargent-Glover Uses Near-Field Spectroscopy to Investigate Domain Walls
  • Ashley Sargent-Glover, 4th year PhD student in the Department of Chemistry, recently co-authored a publication in the Journal of Applied Physics. Sargent-Glover, and a team of researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Rutgers University used near-field spectroscopy and phonon lifetime calculations to examine the relationship between material structure and properties.  Sargent-Glover’s work focuses […]
  • Sheng Dai Among World’s Most Highly Cited Researchers for 10 Years
  • Sheng Dai, professor of chemistry, is one of six faculty members from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to be named to Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers list for 2025, an honor bestowed on only one in 1,000 of the world’s scientists and social scientists. The designation recognizes researchers whose publications are among the top 1% by […]
  • Hazari Celebrates 35th Anniversary of the Magic of Chemistry
  • This year’s National Chemistry Week marks the 35th anniversary of the interactive chemistry show The Magic of Chemistry. Created and performed by retired UT faculty member Al Hazari, the show has become a well-loved part of National Chemistry Week and so much more. Primarily aimed at elementary and middle school students, National Chemistry week is […]
  • Clark Receives NSF Early Career Award
  • Joseph Clark, assistant professor of chemistry, has received a National Science Foundation CAREER award for his work developing molecules that facilitate pharmaceutical drug design and evaluation. Clark will receive $650,000 for his research into the use of tritium, the radioactive isotope of hydrogen, for the selective labeling of small molecules and drug candidates. Selective tritiation […]
  • Chemistry Building Name Announced
  • The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees has officially conferred the name “Charles and Julie Wharton Chemistry Building” on its newest academic facility.  This naming honors the remarkable legacy of the late Julie Wharton and her husband Charles Wharton, whose generosity and vision will have a lasting impact […]
  • A graphic from Dadmun's ChemSusChem publication depicting general PET depolymerization.
  • Dadmun Group Explores the Future of Plastic Recycling with Polymer Chemistry
  • Professor Mark Dadmun and his research group recently published papers in both ChemSusChem and Nature Communications. These papers describe the group’s ongoing efforts to tackle more efficient plastic recycling through polymer chemistry. Plastics, which are made of polymers, have been increasingly woven into modern life since the 1950’s. Single-use plastics originally gained popularity with consumers […]
  • Schweitzer Named World Record Holder
  • Professor George K. Schweitzer has been awarded the Guinness World Record for “Longest Career as a Professor.” Schweitzer joined the University of Tennessee’s chemistry faculty in 1948, beginning a career that ultimately spanned 76 years and 106 days. In September of 2024, Schweitzer passed away. His family, inspired by a local news piece, reached out […]
  • 46th Annual Honors Day
  • 2025 Honors Day
  • On Thursday, May 1st the Department of Chemistry held its annual Honors Day event. Honors Day is an opportunity to recognize student, faculty, and staff excellence via awards and fellowships. Distinguished alumnus Dr. James Taylor delivered the opening address and the event concluded with a remembrance of Dr. George Schweitzer. Honors Day Awardees Outstanding Graduate […]
  • 2025 Undergraduate Awards
  • On Saturday, April 26th the 4th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium took place in Mossman Hall, with undergraduate students participating in poster and oral presentation competitions. Following the symposium, chemistry undergraduates, family and friends attended the accompanying awards dinner where symposium awards and undergraduate scholarships were distributed. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! Undergraduate Research […]
  • A student works in the Baccile lab.
  • Baccile Awarded $1.8 Million Grant for Pioneering Research on Five-Carbon Metabolism
  • Assistant Professor Joshua Baccile has been awarded a Maximizing Investigators’ Research (MIRA) award from the NIH. The MIRA grant, unlike many other grants, is awarded to support a researcher’s collective vision for their lab. Baccile’s lab is focused on investigating the role of five-carbon metabolism in the human body, which could impact long-term health. “Our […]
  • UT Chemistry Lab Explores Dipeptides for Carbon Dioxide Capture
  • Associate Professor Konstantinos Vogiatzis’ lab in the Department of Chemistry is leveraging computational chemistry to address excess carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. The presence of excess CO2 in the atmosphere is believed to have a number of far-reaching impacts on the environment. Over the last 60 years the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere […]
  • E.S. Freed and Charles O. Hill are pictured in a laboratory in Science Hall. The photo is in black and white and was taken between 1913 and 1915.
  • UT Alum Left Lasting Impact on Chemical Extraction
  • Chemistry is frequently called the central science. Because it uncovers knowledge critical to the understanding of matter, it is important to a number of disciplines. Discoveries and innovation in chemistry can have far-reaching implications that last for decades. The great-grandson of alumnus Edgar Stanley Freed came face to face with this phenomenon when he began […]
  • UT researchers Yanhong Gu and Kevin Smith work at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.
  • UT Team Finds Unexpected Behavior in Magnetized Material
  • A semiconducting blend of manganese, silicon, and tellurium has excited a team of UT-led collaborators with its unexpected behavior when exposed to a magnetic field. The material’s response could lead to an improved effect of colossal magnetoresistance for use in data storage and sensors.
  • Selected Faculty Updates and Publications for 2024
  • Michael Best, professor and associate head of undergraduate education, recently published “Nuclear phosphoinositide signaling promotes YAP/TAZ-TEAD transcriptional activity in breast cancer” in The EMBO Journal. Best and then-postdoctoral researcher Jinchao Lou worked with a team including researchers from the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases and the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer […]
  • Remembering George K. Schweitzer
  • It is with great sadness that the Department of Chemistry announces the passing of Professor George K. Schweitzer. The longest serving faculty member in the history of the University of Tennessee, Schweitzer will be remembered for his pioneering work in inorganic chemistry and radiochemistry, and by the thousands of students he mentored and taught. Born […]
  • Courtney Christopher headshot photo
  • Chemistry Researcher Studies Human Health at the Molecular Level
  • Courtney Christopher started college as a pre-med major but realized chemistry could hold answers to complex human health questions. Now as a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Chemistry, she’s uncovering novel links between a microbial derived metabolite, the gut microbiome, and conditions ranging from systemic inflammation to Alzheimer’s disease. Most of her postdoctoral […]
  • Welcome New Faculty Members
  • The Department of Chemistry is pleased to welcome to new faculty members in the 2024-2025 academic year. Their arrival brings us up to 26 faculty members. Their addition will expand our expertise and research capacity, providing even more opportunities for students to participate in cutting-edge research. Joseph Clark – Assistant Professor Joseph Clark was born […]
  • A woman standing in a chemistry lab
  • Graduate Student Earns Prestigious ACS Fellowship
  • Miranda Limbach, graduate student in the Department of Chemistry, was chosen as one of four recipients of a 2024 American Chemical Society Analytical Graduate Research Fellowship. A member of Assistant Professor Thanh Do’s research group, Limbach is currently finishing a summer internship with Merck. When she returns, Limbach will begin her fifth year of graduate […]
  • A young Asian man wearing a blue lab coat and clear safety glasses is using a glove box in a lab. A shadow of his image is reflected in the glove box window
  • Baccile’s Grant Prepares Community College Students for Four-Year Programs
  • Joshua Baccile, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, is leveraging a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to provide summer research opportunities to community college students. He hopes the program will encourage more students to pursue a four-year degree. The NSF requires all submissions to not only detail the proposed research, but to address the […]
  • New Graduate Student Fellowship Awarded
  • Graduate student fellowships are financial gifts that provide support for graduate students and their research. These gifts can make it possible for students to give presentations at national conferences, purchase materials for lab work, and more. In 2024, the Department of Chemistry awarded a new graduate student endowed fellowship, thanks to the generosity of Robert […]
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