Welcome to the ANU Research School of Chemistry (RSC) website. We hope it gives you a picture of the excellent internationally recognised research we undertake in the areas of Biological Chemistry, Materials Chemistry and Synthetic Chemistry. Our research leads our vibrant teaching programmes which give student the option of following pathways focusing on Biological Chemistry, Materials Chemistry and Synthetic Chemistry and combination of these.

The RSC strives for excellence in research, training and all interactions between school members and external partners. Our work adds value to society and our goal is to always behave with the highest integrity, while valuing our colleagues and students, and working for their welfare. Our goal is to work towards a sustainable world for future generations.

Our world is made of molecules and molecular structures, so chemistry is a central science which is essential for solving the world’s major challenges in sustainability, energy, water, health, and climate. The RSC is the home of chemical sciences at the ANU and the breadth of our teaching and research mirrors the cross- and multi-disciplinary impacts of chemistry in our daily lives. The RSC accommodates over twenty world-class research groups who lead research groups comprising undergraduate and postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Research-led teaching is a feature of the ANU and our academic staff all participate in the undergraduate and masters teaching programmes. The research-intensive nature of our undergraduate curriculum allows students to interact with our research in Biological Chemistry, Materials Chemistry and Synthetic Chemistry at an early stage in their degree program. Our graduates have successful careers in research, government, non-governmental organisations, charities, industry and academia.

The many fascinating fundamental and applied chemistry challenges being addressed within the RSC, include:

• understanding and controlling how molecules react – over all time and size scales
• precision structure determination for high-end analysis of biological macromolecules, small molecules, metabolites and materials
• exploring the chemistry of living systems in detail, from small molecules through to proteins
• designing and synthesising new materials and molecular devices with properties that can be predicted, tailored and tuned
• new means of energy generation, storage and transportation to pave the way to a truly sustainable future
• designing medicines and therapies to cure currently untreatable diseases
• leveraging self-assembly for the synthesis and manufacturing of complex systems and materials
• next generation synthesis focussing on end-to-end chemical design and synthesis with integration of computational and experimental approaches.

The RSC is housed in new, state-of-the-art buildings with first-class infrastructure, instrumentation and teaching spaces. Research and teaching are supported and enabled by highly skilled professional and technical staff. Comprehensive pastoral care and learning support is provided for all students and the School is a collegial and cohesive community. The Research School of Chemistry offers the very best environment for studying and research in chemistry.

Professor Alison Rodger
Director, Research School of Chemistry