About Us
Tulane's Department of Chemistry has been devoted to the high quality teaching and research since its founding in 1834. The department provides many of the resources and collaborations associated with a large university, yet offers the personal attention characteristic of a smaller institution. Ongoing research addresses a wide variety of fundamental and applied problems, from developing new spectroscopic methods to optimizing solar cells and developing bioresponsive “smart” therapeutics.
The Department of Chemistry has been devoted to high quality teaching and research since its founding in 1834. We provides many of the resources associated with much larger schools, yet offer the close, personal attention characteristics of a smaller institution. For teaching, this means small classes with excellent instructor-to-student ratios and the opportunity to engage closely with both teachers and peers. Regarding research, this means hands-on training with a wide range of state-of-the-art instrumentation, access to the very best information from the literature and curated data-bases, and the opportunity to utilize the very latest in science AI tools.
Ongoing research themes in the department are wide, varied and seminal. Whether you’re looking for a post-doctoral position, are considering graduate school, or are one of our highly talented undergraduate students, research opportunities are boundless. I encourage you to take some time to inspect the individual research pages of our faculty to see the possibilities. You will find research opportunities for every interest and skill-set addressing many of the important questions faced by society. I encourage everyone to explore these web-pages, and reach out to the department and/or individual researchers to discuss how Tulane Chemistry can help you take the next step to a productive career in the chemical sciences.
Thanks for visiting,
Bruce Gibb
The primary mission of the Department of Chemistry at Tulane University is two-fold. On the teaching front, its goal is to teach chemistry to a diverse group of students that includes non-majors, majors, and graduate students. The department provides opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in scientific research and to obtain a B.S. degree in chemistry certified by the American Chemical Society. As a Ph.D. granting department in a research university, a major aspect of the departmental research mission is discovering and understanding new chemical processes and principles. Such research efforts relate intimately to the mission of graduate training.
Our department seeks to develop within our students the state-of-the-art intellectual and technical tools that they will need to have meaningful and successful careers as scientists within the field of chemistry or in allied disciplines within the physical or health sciences. We strive to achieve this goal by providing challenging but insightful instruction in the classroom for both undergraduate and graduate students as well as maintain competitive, nationally recognized research programs within the major disciplines of chemistry.
Newcomb Chemistry Professors
Tulane Chemistry Professors
- John L. Riddell (chair 1836-1862)
- Joseph Jones (chair 1869-1885)
- John W. Caldwell (chair 1885-1905)
- Abraham Louis Metz (chair 1905-1919)
- Benjamin Palmer Caldwell (1895-1916)
- Hal Walter Moseley (1911-1941 chair 1928-1941)
- Samuel Mahood (1920-1930)
- Raymond Freas (1930-1942)
- E. F. Pollard (1931-1942)
