Duke's Chemistry Ph.D. program emphasizes research and most of our students' time is spent directly pursuing their own original research. Student research is routinely reported in peer-reviewed scientific journals and is also documented in a comprehensive Ph.D. dissertation document which is formally presented and defended before each student's supervisory committee. Our doctoral students pursue their professional career goals in a challenging and supportive environment.
Our students will:
- Learn to formulate and contribute to solving grand challenges which are fundamentally molecular in nature
- Receive intensive, one-on-one research training with faculty mentors from the department and 8 other affiliated departments across campus
- Enjoy Duke’s rich culture for science that has produced two recent “home grown” Chemistry Nobel Prize winners
- Learn in a collaborative environment that integrates state-of-the-art theory, modeling, and simulation with cutting-edge experimentation
- Collaborate at the interfaces with research from our top-ten School of Medicine and Pratt School of Engineering departments
- Enjoy an outstanding quality of live in a diverse, green and culturally booming environment, enriched by two additional research universities nearby
- Hone “soft skills” of scientific communication in an environment that encourages purposeful development of this essential talent
- Go on to successful careers in academia, industry or government.