Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London

Last updated

Department of Chemistry,
Imperial College London
Molecular Sciences Research Hub Front-On, White City North Campus.jpg
Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City
Former name
Royal College of Chemistry
Established1845;180 years ago (1845)
Head of Department
Professor Oscar Ces [1]
Faculty Imperial College Faculty of Natural Sciences
Staff 46 [2]
Students 861 [2]
Location Imperial College Road, London, United Kingdom
51°29′52″N0°10′39″W / 51.497708°N 0.177475°W / 51.497708; -0.177475
Campus South Kensington
White City (research)
Website www.imperial.ac.uk/chemistry
Map
Location map United Kingdom Albertopolis.png
Red pog.svg
Location in Albertopolis, South Kensington

The Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London is responsible for research and teaching in the field of chemistry. It traces its origins to the Royal College of Chemistry, founded in 1845 and later incorporated into the Royal College of Science. In 1907, the Royal College of Science became one of the founding institutions of Imperial College.

Contents

As of the 2016–2017 academic year, the department had approximately 63 academic staff, 10 teaching fellows, 95 postdoctoral research scientists and research fellows, and around 1,150 students (including 240 PhD students, 150 MRes students, and about 750 undergraduates). [3] Over 45 administrative and support staff also worked in the department. It operates at two sites: the Chemistry Building at the South Kensington campus on Imperial College Road and the Molecular Sciences Research Hub (MSRH) at the White City Campus, located in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. [4]

History

Founded in 1845 in Hanover Square, the Royal College of Chemistry moved to Oxford Street the following year. [5] Its first professor was August Wilhelm von Hofmann, who arrived from the University of Giessen. The college was later integrated into the Normal School of Science and re-established as the Royal College of Science in 1890. [6] [7] In 1907, the Royal College of Science became one of the founding institutions of Imperial College, which joined the University of London, and later became independent in 2007.

In 2018, the Molecular Sciences Research Hub opened at White City, serving as the department’s primary research center. Undergraduate teaching continued at South Kensington, although students could carry out their final-year research projects at White City. [8]

Rankings

Research infrastructure

The Molecular Sciences Research Hub (MSRH) is a 24,000 m2 facility designed to accommodate up to 80 research groups and over 800 researchers. It won a 2019 S-Lab global laboratory design prize. The MSRH also hosts collaborative teams from other disciplines for the purpose of interdisciplinary research.

Imperial College’s White City campus co-locates academic and industry partners to encourage economic growth and local innovation. The Department of Chemistry co-established the Deep Tech Network in partnership with Upstream (a collaboration between Hammersmith & Fulham Council and Imperial College London) to facilitate connections among local stakeholders in science and technology.

Teaching

Undergraduate

The department offers three-year BSc and four-year MSc degree programs in Chemistry, [10] with the option of a year in industry, management, or foreign languages. Some MSc courses allow study at partner institutions in Europe. All graduates of the department’s undergraduate programs also receive the Associateship of the Royal College of Science (ARCS).

Postgraduate

The department hosts a large PhD community, aligned with core research themes. It is home to three EPSRC-funded doctoral training centers:

It also partners in the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Medical Imaging (with King’s College London) and offers several MRes and MSc courses in specialized fields, including:

Nobel Laureate Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson completed his bachelor's and doctor's degrees at the department Geoffrey Wilkinson ca. 1976.png
Nobel Laureate Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson completed his bachelor's and doctor's degrees at the department

People

Notable figures associated with the Department of Chemistry include:

Alumni

Among the department’s notable alumni are several Nobel Prize winners:

References

  1. "Contacts | Faculty of Natural Sciences".
  2. 1 2 "STATISTICS POCKET GUIDE 2016–17" (PDF).
  3. "Imperial College - Statistics Pocket Guide" (PDF).
  4. "Kensington and Chelsea | Map, England, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
  5. "Royal College of Chemistry". London Remembers.
  6. "Imperial College". British History Online.
  7. "Chemistry at Imperial | Faculty of Natural Sciences".
  8. "Our Future | Faculty of Natural Sciences". Imperial College London.
  9. Daniel, Tsharna (10 April 2024). "QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 has arrived!". QS. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  10. "Course Structure and Content | Faculty of Natural Sciences". Imperial College London.
  11. "Nobel Prizes | Faculty of Natural Sciences". Imperial College London.
  12. "Derek Barton – Biographical". NobelPrize.org.
  13. "Geoffrey Wilkinson – Biographical". NobelPrize.org.