Chemistry at the Edge of Knowledge

Chemistry is a bridge between the life and physical sciences, and fully understanding it rests at the center of solving major global issues like disease and climate change. On all three NYU campuses, faculty and students challenge themselves and each other to push the boundaries of possibility through chemistry.

Breakthroughs come from deep knowledge combined with flexible thinking. That’s why in the lab “creativity and independence are encouraged from the very beginning,” says Professor William Glover, who is not only an accomplished scientist but also the faculty mentor for Chemistry majors at NYU Shanghai. For example, students can create and execute independent lab projects. Previously, some have examined the unfolding of DNA with temperature. Others have reverse engineered the chemical makeup of a perfume and then attempted to re-create it. And when you want to challenge yourself beyond what you can learn in the classroom, you can get involved in faculty research. Our professors often seek out undergraduate partners.

Professor Glover’s own widely published research uses computer simulations to understand how molecules respond to radiation. For example, he researched how UV radiation damages biological molecules like DNA. In this highly advanced work, he knows that undergraduate research assistants are huge assets. “About a week after starting my chemistry course with Professor Glover, I emailed him to ask if I could do research in his group,” says Andrejs Spuris. He was only a first-year student at NYU Shanghai at the time. “He replied in a matter of a few hours to say yes.” Getting involved can be as easy as asking.