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University of Sydney School of Chemistry

The School of Chemistry, University of Sydney is a school of the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney.

Type

1882[1]

Peter Rutledge

65

Two Nobel Laureates are associated with the School: John Cornforth completed his undergraduate degree in the School, graduating in 1938 with First Class Honours and the University Medal; and Robert Robinson was appointed as the first Professor of Pure and Applied Organic Chemistry at the university in 1912.[3]

History[edit]

The School of Chemistry was established as a part of the Faculty of Science in 1882.[4] However, chemistry was taught at the University of Sydney since 1852. A purpose-built building was constructed on what was later named Science Road starting in 1888 and was completed in 1890. The building was designed largely by Archibald Liversidge, Professor of Chemistry and the first Dean of the Faculty of Science. The original Chemistry Building is now used by the Sydney Pharmacy School.


In 1945, a large fibro-cement building (known as "Tramsheds") was constructed for use by chemistry students until the current Chemistry Building opened in 1958. The current Chemistry Building is notable in architectural history as one of the first structures in Australia with a curtain wall design.

Centres and initiatives[edit]

Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis for Sustainability[edit]

The School of Chemistry is home to the Laboratory of Advanced Catalysis for Sustainability which is focused broadly on catalysis, sustainable processes and fuels, green chemistry, and organometallic chemistry.[5] Other areas the group is interested in include batteries, nanoparticles, ionic liquids, biofuels, and nanostructured materials.[6]


The research group is led by Prof. Thomas Maschmeyer and consists of ca. 20 researchers.

Academics[edit]

Admission[edit]

Admission to the School of Chemistry's research programs is competitive. Generally, admission to the School of Chemistry Honours program requires a SCIWAM of at least 65 or equivalent. Each faculty member is limited to 2.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) Honours students to ensure adequate supervision where co-supervised projects count as 0.5 FTE for each faculty.[19] As a result, admission for some projects is significantly more competitive than others.

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