Chemistry & Biochemistry

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Baylor University offers a unique combination of direct faculty-student training and mentoring, graduate student-operated instrumentation, and growth-focused education leading to impactful science. Our department operates in a close-knit and friendly community. We have research programs in the core areas of chemistry along with more interdisciplinary programs in chemical biology, bioinorganic chemistry, biomedical science and imaging, bioanalytical chemistry, and astrochemistry.

Be Part of Cutting-Edge Research

Baylor's chemists and biochemists work across the entire array of molecular science: pioneering routes to synthesize the most complex organic molecules; designing pharmacons to improve health; synthesizing novel inorganic-organic hybrids; engineering new devices for nano-scale cellular imaging.

About Our Research

Learn Beside Incredible Faculty

By recruiting faculty from the best universities in the world, Baylor's department of chemistry and biochemistry is undergoing rapid expansion. The large faculty to student ratio, and medium-size research groups fosters close apprenticeship, where faculty work alongside graduate students. 

About Our Faculty

Work in State-of-the-Art Facilities

The department is located in one of the largest, well-designed, and integrated science buildings in the world (see video above)! The department consists of well-laid out laboratories with separate office/lab areas, modern fume hoods, and extensive modern instrumentation. This includes all traditional instruments (NMR, MS, X-ray, LC-MS, microscopies for nano-scale science; all student-operated) in addition to more modern instruments including TLC-MS (Thin-Layer Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry), in situ IR reaction monitoring, and robotics for reaction optimization.

About Our Facilities

News

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Recent grants & honors recognize the impact, innovation and insight of Baylor research

What kind of impact are Baylor researchers making on the world? The burgeoning number of honors and grants awarded to BU faculty and students indicates that Baylor’s impact as a Christian research university is growing.

Here are just a few recent examples:

Texas Academy of Science 2025 Annual Meeting 2/28-3/1 WACO TEXAS

The 2025 Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science will be in Waco!  This is a great opportunity for undergrads (and grads!) to make presentations – posters and orals in ALL disciplines.  

Baylor profs celebrate National STEM Day with visits to local schools

Baylor researchers have expertise in a wide variety of areas. Students at three area public schools got to learn that firsthand last week, when BU faculty and students visited with elementary, middle and high school-aged scientists to highlight National STEM Day through hands-on learning activities.

In recent years, Baylor has brought some of its outstanding faculty and their students to local schools for National STEM Day to make science come alive and encourage kids to think about college and careers in the STEM fields. It’s a mission that aligns with the day itself, which celebrates discovery and innovation that sparks interest in future science careers.

Baylor University Graduate School Honors Outstanding Graduate Student Award Winners

Meet this year’s Outstanding Graduate Student Award honorees for excellence in research, teaching and dissertation.

Having Fun in the Heart of Texas

Baylor is Texas' oldest university and is located at its heart, nestled on the Brazos River in the city of Waco. In the past few years Waco has experienced an unprecedented boom in economic development and is now home to some of the best restaurants, coffee shops, and venues for sports and entertainment in all of Texas. And its still an inexpensive and friendly place to live!