PhD in Chemistry and Chemical Biology - Inorganic in Ithaca United States | Cornell University

The program of graduate study is designed to give broad training in the fundamentals of chemistry and in methods of research. Students ordinarily pursue those objectives by taking advanced courses, participating in organized and informal seminars, and carrying out and reporting on research projects in their major subject. Students normally conduct research during the summer and receive financial support for this purpose. With the consent of the Special Committee, a student may elect one or two minors from the above list or from another field. Entering students are required to register with the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at the beginning of their first term. They consult with the Director of Graduate Studies and with their temporary Special Committee. The official course of study in the Ph.D. graduate program begins during the second week of August, one week before the official start of the Fall Semester at Cornell. All incoming Ph.D. students take a series of graduate proficiency exams in Organic, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry provided by the American Chemical Society (ACS). All Ph.D. students then meet with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) and select professors in their area of interest for advice on course selection.

The breadth of modern inorganic chemistry is reflected in the research interests of Cornell's faculty. Solution studies of coordination compounds, organometallic complexes and bioinorganic molecules are complemented by investigations of solid-state materials and theoretical models. Programs in inorganic synthesis prepare and characterize transition metal and main group compounds for the synthesis of polymers as well as for the activation of otherwise inert molecules such as N2 and alkanes. Research of solid-state inorganic materials focuses on novel low dimensional compounds and the preparation of ceramics with desirable physical and electronic properties. Biological studies on the relationship between protein structure and long-range electron transfer as well as the role of metalloenzymes in catalysis are also under investigation.