Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry - Nanoscience and Materials

University of Maine

Welcome to the Department of Chemistry at the University of Maine. We are proud to be the only university in the State of Maine to offer Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in chemistry. Our faculty and graduate students are actively engaged in research that spans a broad range of chemistry. The smaller size of research groups in our department allows for a high degree of student-faculty interaction. Many groups have interdisciplinary research projects that provide opportunities for collaboration with engineers, materials scientists, biological scientists or disciplinary based education researchers.The majority of our graduate students are enrolled in the Ph.D. program and all students are typically supported as teaching assistants in their first year. Research assistantships are also available, usually starting in the second year. All students in good standing are guaranteed financial support through the completion of their degrees.Nanoscience and MaterialsWhen materials are synthesized on the length scale of nanometers, their properties often behave dramatically different from bulk materials. Research in this area focuses on the relationship between the microstructure and the macroscopic properties of materials used in applications from plastics and coatings, to ceramics and catalysis, to biocompatible materials for prosthetics. The field is very multidisplinary, and uses highly specialized instrumentation for imaging and manipulating matter at the nanoscale.