Message from the Head of the Department
You are welcome at the Department of Chemistry! Whether you are a current, past or prospective student, a family member, an employee, or a member of the public, industry, or government – you are welcome here. We value a diversity of experience and backgrounds because that diversity helps us achieve our goals of excellence in teaching, research, and the betterment of society. Our department’s vision is:
The Department of Chemistry strives for excellence in education and the discovery and communication of cutting-edge knowledge and innovations through interdisciplinary research. Our mission is to address scientific and practical challenges relevant to industry, our local community, and global society while building a community that values equity, diversity, Indigeneity, and inclusion.
The Department of Chemistry at Queen’s University is situated on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Territory. To acknowledge this traditional territory is to recognize its longer history, one predating the establishment of the earliest European colonies. It is also to acknowledge this territory’s significance for the Indigenous Peoples who lived, and continue to live, upon it and whose practices and spiritualities were tied to respect for the land. We can honour and continue that respect for the land by doing our utmost, in our research and teaching, to further the goals of sustainability and by recognizing the effect that chemistry can have, for better or worse, on people and the environment.
We have much to celebrate in both research and teaching! On the teaching front, enrolment in Chemistry has increased in the 2012-2022 period for both our undergraduate and graduate programs. We offer various undergraduate degrees in Chemistry, as well as joint degrees with Environmental Studies (the BSc in Environmental Chemistry) and with Chemical Engineering (the BASc in Engineering Chemistry). Undergraduates have many opportunities to try their hands at research: as volunteers, as paid summer researchers, or for their 4th year research thesis. Our recent graduates have an impressive 100% employment rate after 6 months and after 2 years post-graduation. The courses we offer to our graduate students include, in addition to the obvious chemistry topics, soft skills such as research management and scientific communication – these are greatly valued by future employers of our students. Applicants for graduate studies can choose an MSc, a PhD (either after an MSc or direct entry after a BSc), an accelerated MSc, or a joint MSc with the University of Stuttgart.
Queen’s University is ranked 8th in the world and 1st in Ontario by the Times Higher Education Impact Ratings for advancing sustainability. The professors in our Department win more national awards for excellence (from the Chemical Institute of Canada, the Canadian Society of Chemistry, and NSERC) than any other chemistry department in Ontario. Since 2018, we have hired 8 new faculty. Our world class research and instrumentation facilities are used by researchers from departments across campus. Our faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows perform interdisciplinary research in collaboration with experts around the world; two thirds of our published papers have an international coauthor. Our faculty and alumni have been instrumental in creating GreenCentre Canada and RXN HUB, organizations dedicated to the commercialization of green chemistry technologies. Thanks in part to the efforts of Queen’s University and these two organizations, Kingston ranks 1st in Canada (and 10th in the world) for the strength of its startup company ecosystem in clean and green technologies.
Our department is the home of three research centres and institutes:
- The Carbon-to-Metal-Coatings Institute (C2MCI) aims to develop coating materials that will enhance the stability of metals used in transportation, electronics, and precision medicine.
- Open Plastic is a Genome Canada funded program dedicated to finding a biological solution to reduce waste plastic.
- The Contaminants of Emerging Concern - Research Excellence Network (CEC) is a research network focused on the detection and treatment of emerging contaminants in the environment that pose environmental and human health risks.
In the Department, we are making great strides towards equity, although of course we have plenty of work still to do. Representation of women, indigenous persons, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are higher in the students of our Department than in Queen’s as a whole. Women are well represented amongst our faculty, in comparison to chemistry departments at other universities in Canada. We have 100% compliance in the required I-EDIAA training for faculty and staff. Student groups are collaborating with the Department to improve equity and awareness.
In short, the Department is constantly working to live up to its vision - excelling in teaching and research, addressing challenges facing society, and building an inclusive community. We can only succeed if we have a diversity of voices and ideas. That’s why, as a student, employee, or member of the public/industry/government/media, you are welcome here.
Philip Jessop, Head, Department of Chemistry