A student wearing protective goggles runs an experiment.

Program Overview

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Explore the dynamic center of the sciences.

Photo credit: Mike Crupi

Why Chemistry? A Transformative, Ubiquitous Field of Modern Science

From public health and drug discovery to agriculture and nutrition, chemistry touches everything. It is about synthesis, where creation and discovery go hand in hand, leading to breakthroughs in medicine, food, materials, energy and sustainability. At Oberlin, the chemistry and biochemistry curriculum encompasses all the major fields: organic, biochemistry, analytic, physical, environmental and inorganic chemistry. Students work with faculty in cutting edge research laboratories at the forefront of chemical science, going on to pursue careers in medicine, industry, academia and beyond.

A Mentor-Guided, Student-Focused Research Experience

At Oberlin, world class faculty in chemistry and biochemistry work directly with students to help guide their explorations and research, often yielding publishable results. Our majors are friendly, passionate, motivated and ready to collaborate. Many combine the study of chemistry or biochemistry with other majors, from biology or computer science to philosophy and music. Our state-of-the-art facilities include research-grade instruments such as NMR spectrometers, a powder X-ray diffractometer, and a scanning electron microscope. Come to Oberlin to receive individualized attention from researchers at the forefront of the field.

Contact

Chair:

Lisa Ryno

Administrative Assistant:

Veronica De Pascuale

chemistry@oberlin.edu

440-775-8300

Over 75% of majors collaborate with faculty on publishable research

Careers in Medicine

The best physicians combine scientific expertise with a well-rounded interpersonal skill set. At Oberlin, work with our advisors to help pursue your career goals in health and medicine.

Learn more about Oberlin’s pre-med advising

A student examines the contents of a container.

Over 9 active laboratories for students to get engaged

Faculty-Student Collaboration

Mentorship and research are cornerstones of the chemistry and biochemistry programs. At Oberlin, students work with faculty to achieve new scientific discoveries.

Learn more about student projects

Undergraduate Research

What drives me the most in the research process is the possibility of discovering new things.

Learn more about Gabriel’s project

FYSP 009

Drugs!

From aspirin to zantac, and oxycodone to gene editing, the development of therapeutic drugs is an interdisciplinary scientific effort that can have profound impacts on our health and society. This course will introduce chemical and biological concepts used in the drug discovery process, as well as ethical, economic, and political considerations.

Taught by: Jason Belitsky

CHEM 101

Structure and Reactivity

This entry-level course introduces students to the foundational study of reactions, chemical periodicity, bonding, molecular structure, and other questions central to the field of chemistry. Students have the option to join sections that are taught in workshop mode, emphasizing collaborative problem solving and peer discussion.

Taught by: Matthew (Matt) Elrod

CHEM 327

Synthesis Laboratory

This course introduces students to laboratory work involving the synthesis of organic and inorganic compounds by a variety of techniques (e.g. photochemical, electrochemical, inert atmosphere) and the use of spectroscopic methods (e.g. Fourier-transform NMR, infrared, and ultraviolet) for their characterization. Our lectures further develop the theory and unified application of spectroscopic analysis to solve structural problems.

Taught by: William (Will) Parsons, Shuming Chen

CHEM 374

Biochemistry

Learn about the mechanisms of action of modern pesticides and debate their ethical use. Explore how your body uses the biomolecules in the foods you eat to fuel essential cellular functions. Conduct laboratory experiments that identify and quantify proteins in complex solutions like human serum using state-of-the-art instrumentation.

Taught by: Lisa Ryno

Recent Grad Earns Fulbright Study/Research Award

Julia Cronin ’25 double majored in chemistry and environmental studies at Oberlin. Now, the recent alum is conducting research on ice cores at the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark.

Explore Julia’s Fulbright journey

Groundbreaking work in water treatment

At CoreWater Technologies, Obies have developed a breakthrough way to eliminate harmful forever chemicals in a sustainable way. They’re working to remove these contaminants, called PFAS, from drinking water while reducing environmental impact and pollution.

Read the Oberlin Alumni Magazine story

Two students wearing protective gear work in a lab with an employee

Chemistry Major’s Prestigious CBYX Fellowship

Elizabeth Rigby ’22 was one of 75 Americans selected to live and study in Germany for a year as part of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals program. She also completed a chemistry internship during her time there.

Learn more about Elizabeth