Welcome from the Department Head
It is a true honor to lead this department—a community where curiosity, collaboration, and scientific excellence drive both discovery and education.
At Penn State Chemistry, we offer a strong foundation across all core areas—analytical, biological, environmental, inorganic, materials, organic, physical, and theoretical chemistry—while actively advancing interdisciplinary research at the frontiers of science. Our faculty and students are pushing boundaries in areas like active matter, bioinorganic, computational, and quantum chemistry, and advanced nanomaterials design.
We foster a collegial, inclusive culture that values the open exchange of ideas and creative problem-solving, both in the classroom and in the lab. Our department is a vibrant community of more than 500 students, postdocs, faculty, and staff working together to address global challenges and share discoveries that benefit society through medical drug delivery improvements, microplastic detection, and rare earth metal separation, which has the potential to revolutionize industrial mining, to name just a few.
Researchers and students benefit from state-of-the-art instrumentation and specialized facilities, including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy and imaging, mass spectrometry, X-ray crystallography, and glassblowing, along with access to interdisciplinary centers like the US National Science Foundation National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS), Materials Research Institute (MRI), and Center for Nanoscale Science (MRSEC). Recognitions from the American Chemical Society, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the White House, and Blavatnik Family Foundation highlight the caliber of our researchers and the impact of their work, from developing nanomotors and pollution-fighting materials to creating new models for scientific education and outreach.
We are also a hub for global engagement and collaboration. In the 2024-25 academic year alone, we hosted major conferences like the International Symposium on Monolayer-Protected Clusters, the Bioinorganic Workshop, the inaugural Center for RNA Molecular Biology Symposium, and the American Chemical Society Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting, bringing together leading researchers from around the world.
Education remains central to our mission. We take pride in preparing the next generation of chemists through hands-on research, personalized mentorship, and strong professional development programs. Our graduate program provides early research engagement, lab rotations, and leadership opportunities like with our Graduate Student Association, while our undergraduate program supports a flexible curriculum, faculty-mentored research, the unique First Year Research Initiative experience, and access to scholarships, co-ops, and internships. Many students coauthor publications and contribute to real-world solutions before they graduate.
Our alumni continue to make meaningful contributions across academia, industry, and government. Among them are recipients of prestigious honors—including the Kavli Prize in Nanoscience—and many who have generously given back to the department by supporting scholarships, infrastructure, and new initiatives that benefit current and future students.
The dedication of our staff underpins all that we do. Their expertise and commitment support every aspect of our mission, from teaching and research to administration and daily operations.
Looking ahead, we are focused on deepening connections across our diverse research strengths to position our department as a national model for collaborative, high-impact science. In alignment with the University’s land-grant mission, we are committed to translating molecular discoveries into practical solutions that serve both science and society.
I invite you to explore the many facets of our department, including the latest news and events, and follow us on LinkedIn. The Department of Chemistry is a vibrant and welcoming community, and we hope you'll take the opportunity to visit and discover all that we have to offer.
Best Wishes,
Ken Knappenberger
Head, Department of Chemistry
