PhD in Chemistry

Chemistry as a discipline is growing and changing rapidly. The traditional divisions of Chemistry into analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry no longer reflect the dynamic and multidisciplinary nature of the field. Chemistry is, in fact, the "central science", having relevance in areas such as molecular biology, molecular physics, materials science, molecular engineering, biotechnology, environmental science, and drug design.

As a postgraduate student in the Department of Chemistry at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, you will have the chance to study in programs that reflect the current, central, position of Chemistry and you will learn from diverse, innovative faculty at the forefront of their fields of research.

Our mission is to offer research and instructional opportunities in the emerging areas of Chemistry while maintaining a program rooted in the basics of the discipline. Postgraduate programs emphasize training in original research focusing on fundamental, interdisciplinary, and applied areas. Complementing our formal degree programs is an active seminar program allowing students to meet prominent and international scientists who are pioneering the creation of new chemical knowledge.

The purpose of the Ph.D. program in Chemistry is to prepare students through the execution and completion of a substantial research project to become mature, independent scientists who themselves are then capable of the design, initiation, and execution of their own original projects in academic or industrial environments.

The admission into the program is to be regarded as a privilege, and the subsequent execution of the research project by a Ph.D. candidate is a major undertaking. It requires the application of considerable depth and breadth of scholarship, and there must be a substantial discovery of new science. The final Ph.D. thesis must reflect clearly and completely the fulfillment of these criteria.