Welcome!
Welcome to the EMU Chemistry Department. We like to think of ourselves as having all of the opportunities associated with a large department combined with the individual attention available in a small department.
Diversity and Inclusion
We respect and welcome members of all racial, religious, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and all sexual orientations, gender identities, and intellectual and physical abilities. Our diverse, individual perspectives strengthen and enhance our intellectual community through scholarship, research, teaching, and mentorship.
It is our intention that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by the education we provide and that students’ learning needs be addressed both within and outside of the classroom.
The work of creating an equitable and diverse department is an on-going endeavor. Here, we mention two of our measures of diversity and will update this data over time.
- We are proud to say that almost half of our faculty identify as women, compared to an average of 16% in chemistry faculty positions nationwide.
- Eight percent of our BS graduates from 2009-2019 identify as African American, similar to national averages. We are working on improving representation from this and other underserved groups
As a department we are working to strengthen our recruiting and support services to help welcome students from all backgrounds to see themselves as chemists. One way we have worked toward this goal is by participating in an initiative to improve our introductory courses with a focus on the achievement of all students, including underserved populations. Here is more about this initiative.
News & Announcements
- EMU Faculty Secure $850K in NSF and NIH Grants
Steven Backues, an associate professor in the chemistry department, is the principal investigator on a $414,390 grant from the National Science Foundation entitled "RUI: Tools and Approaches for Investigating the Basic Mechanisms of Autophagy" This grant has the dual purpose of enhancing undergraduate education in the department and advancing humanity’s fundamental understanding of the medically relevant process of autophagy. Read more. Posted 3/20/2023 Dr. Evans from the Chemistry department recently received a total amount of $445,500 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support her project entitled Probing the Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 3 and Humanin in Regulating Hyaluronan Function. The research project centers on examining the overlapping interactions between molecular players, linked to both neurodegeneration and cancer and the resulting mechanistic interplay operative in regulating cell survival. Read more. Posted 3/20/2023
Recent Faculty Retirees in the Chemistry Department
The Chemistry Department has been reduced in its ranks by five faculty members in the past year due to retirements, and we would like to celebrate and honor these professors who spent their careers educating students here at EMU. Each one has left a special mark on our department. We miss them all, feel privileged to have worked with them, and wish them the best in the next exciting phase of their lives. We thank them for their service to our students and to Eastern Michigan University and congratulate them on being appointed as emeritus faculty. Details of each of their contributions to EMU and abroad can be found by clicking on each of their photos.
Prof. Don Snyder 
Prof. Tim Friebe
Prof. Ross Nord 
Prof. José Vites
Prof. Ellene (Nina) Contis
