About us

Professor Timothy Schmidt

Head of School

Hello and welcome to the School of Chemistry

We like to think of chemistry as being the creative, central science: an essential part of your scientific toolbox. Studying chemistry helps you understand the world from the ground up: from the sub-atomic, atomic, and molecular to the spectacular.

The School of Chemistry has a proud history; predating UNSW, beginning life at the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts in 1833. Today the School of Chemistry is one of the leading centres for both chemistry teaching and research in Australia, and we are unashamedly proud of that!

The school has all the things you'd expect, like state-of-the-art facilities and passionate, award-winning staff to help you.

You might be straight out of high school, starting your PhD with us or an industry partner looking for expert advice. Perhaps you are one of our hundreds of alumni looking to reconnect with the school or a teacher keen to bring students to visit our labs? Wherever you're at, be sure that you have a home here at the School of Chemistry.

Our programs reflect today's current trends whilst building on solid foundations; the Advanced Science program offers challenging chemistry, the Medicinal Chemistry program allows you to benefit from the overlap between chemistry and pharmacology, and UNSW was the first Australian University with the foresight to offer the cross-school Nanotechnology program. The Students of Chemistry Society (SOCS) ensures that our undergraduate and postgraduate students also enjoy letting off steam with regular social activities.

You stand to benefit from the strong links we have developed nationally and internationally. Our staff are leading research programs in key areas of science – with a focus on nanoscience, catalysis and energy and medicinal chemistry, all made possible by our 90 PhD students and 40 honours students and our international collaborators. The UNSW Chemical Society has celebrated its 100th birthday and regularly attracts the best minds from around the world to present talks as part of our named lectureship series.

We look forward to welcoming you to the School of Chemistry!

- Professor Timothy Schmidt

Head of School