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Findlater lab
Organometallic chemistry empowers the understanding of chemical reactions and the synthesis of new functional molecules
The Organic and Organometallic division at UC Merced has a strong background in physical organic chemistry, materials chemistry, and synthetic organometallic chemistry and catalysis that empowers the discovery and understanding of chemical reactions and the synthesis of new functional molecules combining organic and inorganic techniques.
Professor Ryan Baxter
Advancing Organic Chemistry Education
Chemistry Professor Ryan Baxter received a CAREER award from NSF to help advance his lab’s work developing new strategies for initiating radical chemical reactions to engineer mild experimental protocols.
Chemistry Professor Patti LiWang
Innovative Delivery System
Patti LiWang's research group had figured out how to make some of the most potent HIV inhibitors even more powerful.
Chemistry Professors Christine Isborn, Liang Shi, Mike Colvin and Hrant Hratchian
Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
Christine Isborn, Liang Shi, Mike Colvin and Hrant Hratchian model structure, properties, reactivity, and spectroscopy of molecules and complex systems using computational quantum chemistry, molecular dynamics, and statistical mechanics. 

Welcome

Our research programs range from studying how HIV targets cells and the chemical origins of life to visualizing chemical reactions and improving solar cell efficiencies. Our faculty members are committed to excellence in research and instruction, and have won a variety of awards at regional, national and international levels. 

 

Featured News

Blue-green algae in flasks are used by researchers at UC Merced and UC San Diego to further the understanding of circadian clocks. Image courtesy of UC San Diego.
February 10, 2026

Our circadian clocks play a crucial role in our health and well-being, keeping our 24-hour biological cycles in sync with light and dark exposure. Disruptions in the rhythms of these clocks, as with...

Grad student Abigail Gyamfi
February 4, 2026

Chemistry and Biochemistry (CBC) Ph.D. candidate Abigail Gyamfi has earned the 2025 American Chemical Society Leader Scholars Award. The ACS Leader Scholars program recognizes outstanding...

Biochemistry Professor Andy LiWang
February 2, 2026

Biochemistry Professor Andy LiWang has spent much of his career studying how life keeps time. His work on the circadian clock of cyanobacteria — tiny, ancient organisms that share the planet with us...

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Seminars

Chemistry seminars are held on Fridays. See the seminar page for a list of past and upcoming seminars.