About the Department
Welcome
Haere mai, nau mai
Since 1966, the Department of Chemistry has been established on the Ilam campus of the University of Canterbury, occupying eight floors of the Rutherford building. The ground floor houses our workshops, major research instruments and stores, the next four to undergraduate laboratories and the last three are devoted to research and staff offices.
The Department is a vibrant community of around 60 staff members and over 1200 students, which include approximately 60 at postgraduate level, with a shared enthusiasm for the advancement of chemical knowledge and its application to the betterment of our society and environment.
We are dedicated to providing top quality courses for students whose major interest subject is Chemistry and for students who need Chemistry as a support for other major interests such as Engineering, Biology, Forestry and the Earth Sciences.
We also have a wide range of research interests from molecular biology, through the developments of drugs for the treatment for AIDS and cancer, through polymers and industrial catalysts, to fundamental studies of the composition and chemistry of planetary atmospheres and interstellar clouds. These diverse interests are reflected in our teaching and in the range of subjects available in our curriculum.
