Founded in 1833, Oberlin is a private four-year, highly selective national liberal arts college that is also home to an outstanding Conservatory of Music. Together, the two divisions enroll approximately 2900 students. The College views a diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational environment as contributing to the excellence of its academic program and was the first college in the US to admit Black Students and women. Among liberal arts colleges, Oberlin is a national leader in successfully placing graduates into PhD programs.
Oberlin is situated on the outskirts of Cleveland, combining a cozy small-town atmosphere with the cultural amenities of a major city. The Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cinematheque, Karamu House, several educational institutions, and scores of restaurants, bars, music venues, and theaters add to the cultural and educational opportunities of the region.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry graduates about 25 majors each year. Faculty members teach at all levels of the curriculum and actively involve undergraduate students in original research. With outstanding facilities for research and teaching in Oberlin’s Science Center, the Department pursues cutting-edge research and innovative pedagogy. Instrumentation includes 400-MHz and 600-MHz multinuclear FT-NMR spectrometers, 80 MHz teaching NMR spectrometer, x-ray powder diffractometer, microscopy (SEM, confocal fluorescence), thermal analysis (TGA/DTA, DSC, bomb calorimetry), FT-Raman/IR, atomic absorption, fluorescence and UV-Vis-NIR spectrometers and plate readers, as well as chromatographic (GC, GC-MS, LC-MS), electrochemical, and biochemical instrumentation, and a supercomputer cluster with computational chemistry software. Cross-disciplinary collaboration in research and teaching is encouraged and supported. Additional information about the Department can be found at:
