Recent News
Deborah Polo receives Distinguished Teaching Award
September 8, 2023
Suzanne Ruder to receive national award for excellence in chemistry instruction
August 21, 2023
Ruder will be honored for her work with two colleagues on an NSF-supported research project focused on process skills in undergraduate STEM classrooms.
Nicholas Farrell, VCU chemist with a major legacy in cancer treatment, retires after 30 years
June 23, 2023
With $1.52M grant, VCU chemistry professor seeks a solution to benefit chemo and dialysis patients
April 19, 2023
Xuewei Wang and his team are targeting the risk of clotting and infection in a common medical implant in the veins.
Congratulations to Professor Ruder on new NSF Grant
April 3, 2023
Suzanne Ruder receives POGIL Project's Impact Award
March 20, 2023
Fuglestad lab receives $1.94M grant from NIH
March 16, 2023
Danielle Ansong pursues longtime interest in medicine with research and volunteer work
March 8, 2023
Ansong, a VCU junior and president of the African Student Union, volunteers as an EMT and greeter and helps with the Simple Sunflower program.
Drug delivery, new therapies, AI, VR: Array of VCU inventors receive Commercialization Fund awards
March 8, 2023
VCU chemistry professor appointed to direct a research program at NSF Chemistry Division
October 25, 2022
Among his areas of emphasis, M. Samy El-Shall hopes to create new funding opportunities in the chemistry of sustainable water and energy.
Congratulations to the Fuglestad Group
September 26, 2022
Major gift funds new position for an interdisciplinary mass spectrometry facility
September 7, 2022
The $500,000 gift is the second largest one-time donation in the department's history.
Congratulations to Dr. Sieber on his NSF Career Award
July 18, 2022
VCU receives $1 million grant to increase minority Ph.D. STEM students
July 5, 2022
The funding is designed to guide students through the early years of a doctoral program when many drop out.
Class of 2022: Commuting hundreds of miles per week, Trevohn Robinson has the drive to succeed in chemistry
May 9, 2022
Graduating senior Robinson credits his mentors at VCU, his parents and his Honda Civic as he prepares for a doctoral degree and career as a chemist.
How do bones change in outer space? This chemistry major is doing research to find out
April 15, 2022
Lovell Abraham's hard work earned him a VCU Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program fellowship and an award in last fall's undergraduate poster symposium.
VCU Students open Hopewell grade schoolers' eyes to science at STEAM Day
March 15, 2022
On their first day of spring break, VCU science, techonology, engineering, arts, and math students showed off science experiments to students at Patrick Copeland Elementary school.
Dr. Soma Dhakal awarded new collaborative grant
January 19, 2022
Research Highlight: Xuewei Wang, Ph.D.
January 13, 2022
Congratulations to Dr. Wang on receiving an Institutional Research Grant from the American Cancer Society
December 2, 2021
We are pleased to announce two new graduate programs in Chemistry
September 21, 2021
Congratulations to our Former Undergraduates
September 3, 2021
Congratulations to Assistant Professors Lucas and Belecki for receiving a NSF grant that makes use of Green Chemistry
September 3, 2021
Congressman McEachin announces over $1.5 million in grants for funding for VCU to support environmentally focused research projects.
$1.1M grant supports VCU research focused on drug discovery for "undruggable" diseases
August 25, 2021
Matthew Hartman's research could one day lead to a new drug delivery system
Undergraduate students present research to industry partners
June 14, 2021
NASA, Altria and GSK are just a few of the national companies that participate in the annual Chemistry Undergraduate Research Symposium.
It takes a village to succeed: Student earns national scholarship to finish her Ph.D.
April 30, 2021
Josly Pierre-Louis' parents immigrated to America from Haiti. Their daughter, a VCU grad, is the rising tide for all boats when it comes to her success in chemistry and health research.
VCU's new STEM building is beginning to take shape
February 22, 2021
Steel beams for the building will be delivered next week. The project at the site of the Franklin Street Gym will expand lab, classroom and office space for the College of Humanities and Sciences.
Promoting diversity in the field of chemistry
December 2, 2020
In 2019, 67 women graduated from VCU with bachelor's degrees in chemistry, the fifth-most in the nation.
VCU Chemistry professor one of two at VCU, named senior members of the National Academy of Inventors
August 18, 2020
P. Srirama Rao and Everett Carpenter inventors on 15 U.S. patents between them, are recognized for their innovative work through being elected as NAI senior members.
Five VCU alumni selected for 2020-21 Fulbright student scholarships
July 20, 2020
Five recent graduates from VCU have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships for 2020-21.
New study reveals a graphene sheet behaves "like a mirror" for water molecules
July 15, 2020
The study led by VCU researchers addresses an important area for medicine, industry and science: Understanding how liquids - mainly water - interact with surfaces.
Keeping our campus going
June 1, 2020
While the rest of the university went remote, these employees continued showing up to keep things running during the coronavirus pandemic.
Alumni Profile: Jalynn Taylor-Farmer (B.S. '16/H&S)
August 5, 2020
Now a successful alumna, Jalynn remembers the confidence earning a scholarship instilled in her and has made a gift in support of the very funds that she benefitted from as a student.
Sally Hunnicutt, Ph.D., introduced as new interim dean for faculty affairs
May 18, 2020
Sally Hunnicutt will be the interim associate dean for faculty affairs for the College of Humanities and Sciences effective May 10, 2020. Sally is currently associate chair and professor in the Department of Chemistry.
Departments in College of Humanities and Sciences Donate Protective Equipment to VCU Health
April 2, 2020
Departments in the College of Humanities and Sciences are donating personal protective equipment to VCU Health in an effort to combat the spread of the of the coronavirus.
Chesterfield Education Foundation 2019 BRAVO! Award Honorees includes VCU Chemistry's LaChelle Waller
October 30, 2019
LaChelle Waller, Ph.D. is one of the six recipients of the 2019 BRAVO! Awards, recognizing outstanding and professional community achievements of Chesterfield County Public Schools' alumni.
In Memoriam, Professor Alenka Luzar
March 5, 2019
Professor Luzar, who joined the VCU Chemistry Department in 2004, passed away March 5th, 2019. Dr. Luzar taught Physical Chemistry Graduate and Undergraduate courses at VCU. She will be missed by her students and colleagues at VCU.
NIH awards $1.65M to professor to study the role of brain metals in Parkinson's Disease
October 9, 2019
Heather R. Lucas, Ph.D., received a $1.65 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the impact of brain metals such as iron and copper on a protein implicated in Parkinson's Disease.
Welcoming new faculty for 2019
August 1, 2019
We enthusiastically welcome Brian Fuglestad, Ph.D., Ka Un Lao, Ph.D., and Xuewei Wang, Ph.D, to the Department of Chemistry.
Professor receives U.S. government's highest honor bestowed to early career scientists and engineers
July 12, 2019
Katharine Tibbetts, Ph.D., is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government to outstanding scientists and engineers who are beginning their independent research careers and who show exceptional promise for leadership in science and technology.
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September 19, 2019
Annual John Fenn Lecture has been announced for Thursday, September 12, 2019
September 12, 2019
Annual John Fenn Lecture
Chemistry of Materials: 30th anniversary editorial interview with Charlene Crawley, Ph.D.
June 11, 2019
As part of a new celebratory 30th anniversary edition, Chemistry of Materials interviewed contributors from its first issue. Charlene Crawley, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, was one such contributor.
Lidia Vallarino Memorial Lecture
March 2, 2017
Luisa De Cola has been Professor Exceptionnelle at the University of Strasbourg (ISIS) as chair of Supramolecular and Bio-Material Chemistry since September 2013, and part time scientist at the INT-KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany. She has also been Professor at the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) since 2016.
Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Program
January 8, 2019
National Science Foundation – Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) Program
A summer research experience for undergraduates in chemistry and chemical engineering
"Practices and Perspectives in Nanoscience and Chemical Biology"
The Department of Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University invites applications for participation in the Research Experience for Undergraduates for the summer of 2019. This program is being funded by the National Science Foundation-Division of Chemistry. The "Practices and Perspectives in Nanoscience and Chemical Biology " program is designed to provide an experience that combines practical training in specific research techniques (practices) with activities designed to put the research into the context of larger goals of modern science and technology (perspectives) specifically in the field of nanoscience and chemical biology. The program will also provide career planning and management components through collaboration with local industry. The research projects offered involve experience in chemical synthesis, data analysis and/or computer modeling.
April 11, 2019 Join VCU Chemistry for the 2019 Mary E. Kapp Lecture
April 11, 2019
Join VCU Chemistry for our annual Mary E. Kapp Lecture with guest speaker Dr. Terrence J. Collins
October 25th, 2018- Terner Symposium
October 25, 2018
Farrell Symposium-June 22, 2018
June 22, 2018
March 22, 2018 John B. Fenn Lecture
February 9, 2018
Please join VCU's Chemistry department in our annual John B. Fenn Lecture series; featuring Richard Smith of the Pacific North National Lab (PNNL).
Spring '18 Commencement- Friday, May 11, 2018 GRCC Exhibit Hall C
May 11, 2018
VCU Chemistry will hold our Spring 2018 Commencement ceremony Friday, May 11, 2018 at 6 pm in the Greater Richmond Convention Center Exhibit Hall C. Our commencement speaker has been announced, Dr. Keyanna Conner, Secretary of Administration for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
In memoriam, Dr. James Terner
March 6, 2018
Nick Farrell named University Professor
December 11, 2017
VCU Board of Victors named Professor Nick Farrell a University Professor which recognizes faculty members who teach or conduct research that crosses discipline boundaries and have an established prominence in multiple fields of study, with national or international recognition in at least one field of study. Dr. Farrell’s research crosses the disciplinary boundaries of chemistry, biochemistry, chemical biology and medical sciences, and he has achieved prominence and international recognition in each of those fields.
Samy El-Shall named Commonwealth Professor
December 11, 2017
VCU Board of Victors named Professor Samy El-Shall a Commonwealth University which recognizes faculty members with extraordinary scholarly attainment, educational advancement, or leadership in an academic discipline or field of study, with national or international distinction. Dr. El-Shall’s research couples intrinsic scientific merit in the fields of clusters, nucleation, nanostructured materials and catalysis with significant real-world applications in energy production, conversion and storage as well as for clean environment, including pollution-free air and sustainable clean-water resources.
Maryanne Collinson receives the 2017 American Chemical Society-VA Section Distinguished Research Award
December 11, 2017
Maryanne Collinson, the John B. Fenn Professor in Chemistry, received the 2017 American Chemical Society-VA Section Distinguished Research Award.
Dr. Charlene D Crawley will be honored by Minority Access Inc.
September 27, 2017
Dr. Charlene D Crawley will be honored by Minority Access Inc. as a National Role Model for her exemplary work as a mentor, advisor, and advocate for students pursuing a variety of careers in the natural and health sciences.
Dr. Lachelle Waller Honored
September 18, 2017
Dr. Lachelle Waller was honored by the Office of the Provost with their Excellence in Advising/Advising Innovator Award.
Charlene Crawley to be honored at annual PACME ceremony
April 13, 2017
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Charlene Crawley on being the recipient of the 2017 Presidential Awards for Community Multicultural Enrichment (PACME) faculty award.
Indika Arachchige received the CHS Excellence in Scholarship Award
April 11, 2017
Indika Arachchige received the 2017 College of Humanities and Sciences Excellence in Scholarship Award.
Scott Gronert received the 2016 American Chemical Society-VA Section Distinguished Research Award
July 31, 2017
Scott Gronert received the 2016 American Chemical Society-VA Section Distinguished Research Award.
Richmond Public High Schools come to visit VCU Chemistry
April 11, 2017
VCU Health Sciences Academy and the Chemistry Department hosted a group of students from Richmond Public Schools to explore health science careers last week!
2017 Chemistry Graduation Ceremony
April 5, 2017
We are honored to have Dr. Amy Rose, a surgeon with Surgical Associates of Richmond on Richmond’s southside and a Chemistry alumni speak at graduation. Amy T. Rose, MD, is an advanced minimally invasive surgeon with Surgical Associates of Richmond on Richmond’s southside. She was a 1990 graduate of VCU with a degree in Chemistry, having worked closely with Dr. Lidia Vallarino during her undergraduate years, after growing up in Spotsylvania County. She was a participant in the young Honor’s Program and one of the first participants in the Early Acceptance Program to the medical college of VCU.
STEAM Day 2017
March 25, 2017
The STEAM Day 2017 event held at Marguerite Christian Elementary School, on March, 6, 2017, was a HUGE success! The event was student driven and led by our very own Chemistry@VCU ACS student affiliates. We had over 30 volunteers (undergraduate students, faculty graduate students, and community partners)!!!
Nicholas Farrell on Cover of ChemComm
January 31, 2017
Nick Farrell receives Chemical Communications cover for Issue 1 of 2017. Article Link
Alenka Luzar was appointed by Elsevier as Editor-in-Chief
November 1, 2016
Alenka Luzar was appointed by Elsevier as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Molecular Liquids (MOLLIQ) starting October 1, 2016.
Sally and Mike Hunnicutt named Blue Sky Fund ‘Volunteers of the Year’
July 31, 2017
VCU Chemistry’s Sally and Mike Hunnicutt have been named Volunteers of the Year for their work with the Blue Sky Fund. Blue Sky Fund is a local organization that looks to transfer the lives of urban youth through outdoor education. For more information please visit: blueskyfund.org
Congratulations to Samy El-Shall & Maryanne Collinson
July 31, 2017
”It is my distinct honor to congratulate two of our distinguished faculty members: Dr. M. Samy El Shall, who has been appointed by the President and the Board of Visitors as the Mary Eugenia Kapp Chair in Chemistry, and Dr. Maryann Collinson, who has been appointed as the John B. Fenn Professor in Chemistry effective June 23, 2017. These appointments recognize Samy and Maryann’s exemplary contributions to teaching, research and public service.
Chemistry professor receives project funding from the university's Presidential Research Quest Fund
July 6, 2021
Inidika Arachchige, Ph.D., is one of the 18 VCU researchers to receive part of a $512.000 award to fund research projects.