The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is well staffed with 17 faculty members. All of the faculty have doctorate degrees from well-known universities. Most of them have considerable experience in postdoctoral or industrial research.
The research and teaching facilities for the department are housed in three buildings—Ladd Hall, Dunbar Laboratories, and the Quentin Burdick Building. A chemistry library containing approximately 10,000 volumes and 280 scientific and technical journals is located in Ladd Hall.
Advanced instruments and facilities are readily available. These include ultracentrifuges; gene synthesizer; nuclear magnetic, infrared, ultraviolet and mass spectrometers; gas and liquid chromatographs; computers; recombinant DNA and cell and tissue culture laboratories; and an advanced electron microscope facility.

Career Opportunities

Employment opportunities for biochemists are found at higher education institutions within the chemistry, biochemistry and biological sciences departments; in medical schools, hospitals, research institutes and government research laboratories; and in other health, energy, environment and agricultural research programs. Biochemists are employed at all levels in industries concerned with food processing, manufacturing, genetic engineering and marketing of drugs, cosmetics and pesticides, as well as in the petroleum and allied industrial complexes.
Earnings of persons trained in biochemistry vary, and the salary level depends largely upon the amount of formal training a person has received. Entry-level salaries for biochemists average $48,000 per year, based on 2015 data from For biochemists who have an advanced degree, salaries and opportunities are much greater.