Program Overview

Organic Chemistry Ph.D. Program

The Organic Chemistry Graduate Program is designed to prepare students to address emerging research opportunities at the crossroads of modern chemistry, biological chemistry, and materials science as it relates to problems of biomedical importance.

About the Organic Chemistry Program

Students participate in dynamic research led by faculty that are world leaders in the field of chemistry and experience the satisfaction of making original contributions to the advancement of chemistry and related disciplines. Students in the program benefit from working collaboratively across disciplines to solve complex health challenges, a hallmark of an education at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Top-Notch Facilities and Advanced Research

UT Southwestern has world-class facilities for modern chemistry, including four high-field NMR systems devoted to small molecules. Research projects focus on topics at the forefronts of synthetic and mechanistic chemistry, chemical biology, and discovery biology.

Areas of Research

• Asymmetric catalysis
• Medicinal chemistry
• Organometallics
• Synthesis of natural products
• Synthetic methodology
• Chemical biology

Program Director

The program director is Uttam Tambar, Ph.D., Professor. The objective of the program is to produce students who are independent scientists, capable of tackling the most important problems in chemistry and biology.

Student Testimonials

Students in the program have expressed their satisfaction with the unique organic chemistry program, exceptional professors, and the collaborative environment. Some of the testimonials include:

• "At UT Southwestern, I found a unique organic chemistry program with exceptional professors, passionate about organic synthesis, chemical reactivity, reaction development as well as medicinal chemistry." - Jake Aquilina, Research Topic: Natural Product Synthesis
• "The professors here are not only absolutely brilliant, but they ensure the students receive individualized attention. They hold us to high standards, as they want us to learn as much as possible, but it is also evident that they care about us personally, and want us to succeed." - Lauren Edwards, Research Topic: New Reactivity in Organic Synthesis
• "Outstanding faculty, more focused research without TA work, collaboration with biochemists and medicinal chemists and a high stipend are all key factors that are attractive to prospective students." - Jet Tsien, Research Topic: Synthetic Access to Pharmaceutically Relevant Novel Bioisosteres