Department of Chemistry

Overview

The Chemistry Department was established in 1979 and has since developed a full-fledged teaching and research program. The Department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including B.Sc. in Chemistry, B.Sc. in Biochemistry, M.Sc. in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Chemistry.

The B.Sc. in Chemistry is firmly established and enjoys renewed accreditation by both the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC, since 2007) and the UK Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC, since 2011). Given our firm and continued commitment to uphold our teaching standards, both accreditation institutes qualified us as a strong department . The B.Sc. in Chemistry and Biochemistry programs are based on European and North American standards and are becoming increasingly popular among students. Our students have access to effective instruction, excellent lab facilities and practical training. Lectures and labs are conducted using the latest smart learning technologies. The curriculum of the B.Sc. degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry include a total of 54 credit hours of Chemistry courses.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an opportunity for the Department to look at teaching in a different perspective. Our teaching methods have been remarkably adapted to suit the needs of our students. The Chemistry Department faculty, instructors, and staff showed extraordinary flexibility in embracing online teaching. Both undergraduate and graduate courses were adapted to online course delivery and comply with international standard and accreditation bodies. All practical labs are conducted face-to-face while maintaining all safety and health precautions. Some virtual laboratory sessions were successfully developed and could be deployed in case of emergency.

In addition to instruction, our faculty members also devote much of their time to both basic and applied research. Over the years, the Chemistry Department has acquired various instruments to cater for the research and teaching needs of both our faculty and students. We have trained many undergraduate students through a Research Project course as well as the Undergraduate Summer Research Experience (SURE) program and other extra-curricular research opportunities. Our thesis-based MSc and PhD programs are burgeoning, and we currently have over 30 post-graduate students. The research covers all major disciplines of Chemistry, both basic and applied. The recent research collaboration between UAEU and University of California, Berkeley (UCB) will further boost our research capability and expertise. In this regard, we have and will continue to recruit new faculty members and acquire new instruments to improve the research capability of the Department.  The department research labs are equipped with state-of-the-art instruments that serve the researchers in the College of Science and other colleges.

Moreover, the Chemistry Department is active in promoting science in the UAE community through lectures, school visits, and a wide range of other different activities.

Our continued success is attributed to the dedication of our faculty, resourceful departmental staff, and supportive UAEU administration.