The accelerating global demand for energy and rapid industrialization present pressing challenges to environmental sustainability and energy security. Developing advanced functional materials is crucial to addressing these challenges. Our research group explores the design and synthesis of inorganic materials that can contribute solutions in two critical areas: environmental remediation and energy storage. A central focus of our work is metal sulfides, which possess the remarkable ability to form both crystalline and amorphous frameworks.

Are you interested in learning more about the UGA Department of Chemistry, or just chemistry in general? Stop by the Department of Chemistry Open House on Tuesday, August 19, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the plaza between the STEM-1 and STEM-2 buildings. There will be chemistry demonstrations (yes, you can watch us blow stuff up!), food, science swag, information on everything from research safety to study abroad, and more.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), linear polysaccharides found near the cell membrane as proteoglycans and free oligosaccharides, play important roles regarding cell functions. GAGs have been implicated as potential biomarkers in many diseases like cancer and kidney related diseases and are used as therapeutics for many types of ailments. Because they are highly sulfated, complex GAGs have been analyzed with reverse polarity capillary electrophoresis (CE) and negative mode mass spectrometry.

Breaking symmetry to generate asymmetry, commonly termed desymmetrization, is a remarkably powerful strategy for building molecular complexity. Successful implementation of this strategy holds the potential to forge multiple stereogenic centers in a single step. In fact, stereocenters can also be created away from the reaction site. 

The Chemistry Department is now accepting applications for Chemistry Learning Assistants (CLAs) for the Fall 2025 semester. CLAs are the individuals who rotate during recitation sessions and help answer student questions. CLAs also perform a variety of other activities which include hosting exam review sessions, holding office hours, constructing supplementary study resources, and creating short content videos.

The simulation of the optical spectra of chiral compounds is among the most challenging problems in all quantum chemistry.  Solvation, temperature (molecular vibrations), electron correlation, and more all play pivotal roles in the quantitative – and sometimes even the qualitative – accuracy of theoretical models of such properties. In this lecture, we will explore the significance of each of these components and the current state of the art in quantum chemical models of linear and non-linear chiroptical spectroscopies.