From the Chair’s desk:

Greetings to you all!
What a wonderful semester this has been and a great start to the new academic year. I continue to be amazed and blessed by the diligent and excellent efforts of so many. It is so satisfying to be part of this team!

Kristen Murphy
Kristen Murphy
Chair, Chemistry & Biochemistry

This fall, we are happy to report yet another incredible increase in enrollment. We are up 16% from the previous fall semester and 18% for our 5-year average with a record number of students not seen since fall of 2019! I am certain that this is only due in small part to the new building, which is so supportive and welcoming for student learning, and in overwhelmingly due to our dedicated instructional team. Our faculty, staff and graduate students are the reason why so many students select to take chemistry and biochemistry, major in chemistry and biochemistry, and thrive in the environment our team provides! Truly a team effort and highly successful!

We welcomed new graduate students into our department family, while at the same time continue to celebrate so many graduations and accomplishments!

Our space and environment continue to be supportive of research as we are seeing amazing successes in our faculty and the innovative and creative approaches used in the labs by our student researchers and scientists.

It was with great sadness that saw the transfer of our very own Elise Nicks to the English Department. Even though we still visit often, it is simply not the same without her cheerful and sweet presence in our department. We also bade best wishes to Anna Benko as she returns to industry after her long tenure running our Mass Spec Laboratory. Truly we miss them both dearly!

Please mark your calendar for the Department at the Annual Awards Day and Research Symposium (scheduled for May 1st); more details will follow. Also, please come and visit the new building if you haven’t already done so – chemistry is on display for all to see.

Thank you for being part of the Department family and your continued support of our mission!

All my best,

Kristen Murphy
Chair, Chemistry & Biochemistry

UWM Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge in Milwaukee that we are on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk and Menominee homeland along the southwest shores of Michigami, North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida and Mohican nations remain present.   |   To learn more, visit the Electa Quinney Institute website.