chemistry dissertation proposal

Written Thesis Proposal

Introduction

The goal of this article is to help you to streamline your writing process and help convey your ideas in a concise, coherent, and clear way. The purpose of your proposal is to introduce, motivate, and justify the need for your research contributions. You want to communicate to your audience what your research will do ( vision ), why it is needed ( motivation ), how you will do it ( feasibility ).

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Before you start writing your proposal

A thesis proposal is different than most documents you have written. In a journal article, your narrative can be post-constructed based on your final data, whereas in a thesis proposal, you are envisioning a scientific story and anticipating your impact and results. Because of this, it requires a different approach to unravel your narration. Before you begin your actual writing process, it is a good idea to have (a) a perspective of the background and significance of your research, (b) a set of aims that you want to explore, and (c) a plan to approach your aims. However, the formation of your thesis proposal is often a nonlinear process. Going back and forth to revise your ideas and plans is not uncommon. In fact, this is a segue to approaching your very own thesis proposal, although a lot of time it feels quite the opposite.

Refer to “Where do I begin” article when in doubt. If you have a vague or little idea of the purpose and motivation of your work, one way is to remind yourself the aspects of the project that got you excited initially. You could refer to the “Where do I begin?” article to explore other ways of identifying the significance of your project.

Begin with an outline. It might be daunting to think about finishing a complete and coherent thesis proposal. Alternatively, if you choose to start with an outline first, you are going to have a stronger strategic perspective of the structure and content of your thesis proposal. An outline can serve as the skeleton of your proposal, where you can express the vision of your work, goals that you set for yourself to accomplish your thesis, your current status, and your future plan to explore the rest. If you don’t like the idea of an outline, you could remind yourself what strategy worked best for you in the past and adapt it to fit your needs.

Structure Diagram

Structure your thesis proposal

While some variation is acceptable, don’t stray too far from the following structure (supported by the Graduate Student Handbook). See also the Structure Diagram above.

• Cover Page. The cover page contains any relevant contact information for the committee and your project title. Try to make it look clean and professional.
• Specific Aims . The specific aims are the overview of the problem(s) that you plan to solve. Consider this as your one-minute elevator pitch on your vision for your research. It should succinctly (< 1 page) state your vision (the What), emphasize the purpose of your work (the Why), and provide a high-level summary of your research plans (the How).
• You don’t need to review everything! The point of the background is not to educate your audience, but rather to provide them with the tools needed to understand your proposal. A common pitfall is to explain all the research that you did to understand your topic and to demonstrate that you really know your information. Instead, provide enough evidence to show that you have done your reading. Cut out extraneous information. Be succinct.
• Start by motivating your project. Your background begins by addressing the motivation for your project. If you are having a hard time brainstorming the beginning of your background, try to organize your thoughts by writing down a list of bullet points about your research visions and the gap between current literature and your vision. They do not need to be in any order as they only serve to your needs. If you are unsure of how to motivate your audience, you can refer to the introductions of the key literatures where your proposal is based on, and see how your proposal fits in or extends their envisioned pictures. Another exercise to consider is to imagine: “What might happen if your work is successful?”  This will motivate your audience to understand your intent. Specifically, detailed contributions to help advance your field more manageable to undertake than vague high-level outcomes. For example, “Development of the proposed model will enable high-fidelity simulation of shear-induced crystallization” is a more specific and convincing motivation, compared to, “The field of crystallization modeling must be revolutionized in order to move forward.”

• Break down aims into tractable goals. The goal of your research plan is to explain your plans to approach the problem that you have identified. Here, you are extending your specific aims into a set of actionable plans. You can break down your aims into smaller, more tractable goals whose union can answer the lager scientific question you proposed. These smaller aims, or sub-aims, can appear in the form of individual sub-sections under each of your research aims.
• Reiterate your motivations. While you have already explained the purpose of your work in previous sections, it is still a good practice to reiterate them in the context of each sub-aim that you are proposing. This will inform your audience the motivation of each sub-aim and help them stay engaged.
• Describe a timely, actionable plan. Sometimes you might be tempted to write down every area that needs improvement. It is great to identify them; at the same time, you also need to decide on what set of tasks can you complete timely to make a measurable impact during your PhD. A timely plan now can save a lot of work a few years down the road.  Plan some specific reflection points when you’ll revisit the scope of your project and evaluate if changes are needed.  Some pre-determined “off-ramps” and “retooling” ideas will be very helpful as well, e.g., “Development of the model will rely on the experimental data of Reynold’s, however, modifications of existing correlations based on the validated data of von Karman can be useful as well.”
• Point your data to your plans. The preliminary data you have, data that others in your lab have collected, or even literature data can serve as initial steps you have taken. Your committee should not judge you based on how much or how perfect your data is. More important is to relate how your data have informed you to decide on your plans. Decide upon what data to include and point them towards your future plans.
• Name your backup plans. Make sure to consider back-up plans if everything doesn’t go as planned, because often it won’t. Try to consider which part of your plans are likely to fail and its consequence on the project trajectory. In addition, think about what alternative plans you can consider to “retune” your project. It is unlikely to predict exactly what hurdles you will encounter; however, thinking about alternatives early on will help you feel much better when you do.
• Safety. Provide a description of any relevant safety concerns with your project and how you will address them. This can include general and project-specific lab safety, PPE, and even workspace ergonomics and staying physical healthy if you are spending long days sitting at a desk or bending your back for a long time at your experimental workbench.
• Create the details of your timeline. The timeline can be broken down in the units of semester. Think about your plans to distribute your time in each sub-aims, and balance your research with classes, TA, and practice school. A common way to construct a timeline is called the Gantt Chart. There are templates that are available online where you can tailor them to fit your needs.
• References. This is a standard section listing references in the appropriate format, such as ACS format. The reference tool management software (e.g., Zotero, Endnote, Mendeley) that you are using should have prebuilt templates to convert any document you are citing to styles like ACS. If you do not already have a software tool, now is a good time to start.

Authentic, annotated, examples (AAEs)

These thesis proposals enabled the authors to successfully pass the qualifying exam during the 2017-2018 academic year.

Resources and Annotated Examples

Thesis proposal example 1, thesis proposal example 2.

Home > Sciences and Arts > Dept. of Chemistry > Dissertations and Master's Theses

Dept. of Chemistry Dissertations and Master's Theses

Explore our collection of dissertations and master's theses from the Department of Chemistry below.

Theses/Dissertations/Reports from 2024 2024

Chemical Synthesis of Sensitive DNA , Komal Chillar

Small Fluorescent Glycoconjugates as Imaging Agents for GLUT Sugar Transporters , Adelina Oronova

SYNTHESIS OF CHLORINATED DEOXYGUANOSINE NUCLEOTIDES AT THE N2 CARBON TO PREVENT SUBSTITUTION ERRORS DURING THE CAPPING STEP FOR THE CHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF LONG OLIGODEOXYNUCLEOTIDES , J. Parker F. Harstad

Theses/Dissertations/Reports from 2023 2023

DETECTION AND MUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF A HUMAN PROTEIN ASSOCIATED WITH CANCER AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES , Priyanka Dipak Kadav

EXPLORING TURN-ON PROBES FOR GLUTs TARGETING AND ADVANCING SAFETY EDUCATION IN THE CHEMICAL SCIENCES: A TWO-PART DISSERTATION , Monica Mame Soma Nyansa

MULTILEVEL COMPUTATIONAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE CATALYTIC MECHANISMS OF MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE-1 AND FAT MASS AND OBESITY-ASSOCIATED ENZYME , Ann Varghese

MULTISCALE MOLECULAR MODELING STUDIES OF THE DYNAMICS AND CATALYTIC MECHANISMS OF IRON(II)- AND ZINC(II)-DEPENDENT METALLOENZYMES , Sodiq O. Waheed

ORIGINS OF OPTICAL PROPERTIES IN NATURAL ORGANIC MATTER AND FLUORESCENT ANIMALS , Nastaran Khademimoshgenani

Small Molecules Targeting Fructose Transport , Nazar Gora

UHPLC/FT-MS NON-TARGETED SCREENING APPROACH FOR BIOMASS BURNING ORGANIC AEROSOL AND LIQUID SMOKE AS BIOMASS BURNING ORGANIC AEROSOL SURROGATE , D.M.R. Thusitha Dinusha Kumarihami Divisekara

Theses/Dissertations/Reports from 2022 2022

INTERFACIAL OXIDATION REACTIONS AND FILM NUCLEATION ON IRON SURFACES IN COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTS USING SPECTROSCOPY AT THE LIQUID/SOLID AND GAS/SOLID INTERFACE , Adambarage Chathura de Alwis

ISOLATION AND CHROMATOGRAPHIC SEPARATION OF CYTOTOXIC PLANT COMPOUNDS , Michael C. Hromada

ISOLATION, PURIFICATION, AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NEW MANNOSE-BINDING PLANT LECTIN THAT RECOGNIZES FUNGAL ANTIGENS , Jessica C. Krycia

MULTILEVEL COMPUTATIONAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE DYNAMICS AND REACTION MECHANISMS OF NON-HEME IRON AND 2-OXOGLUTARATE DEPENDENT ENZYMES , Shobhit Sanjeev Chaturvedi

NON-CHROMATOGRAPHIC OLIGONUCLEOTIDE PURIFICATION AND AUTOMATED POLYETHYLENEGLYCOL SYNTHESIS , Dhananjani N. A. M. Eriyagama

STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF A NEW CYTOLYSIN , Jared L. Edwards

SYNTHESIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF FLUORESCENT CARBON DOTS FOR SENSING AND BIOIMAGING APPLICATIONS , Parya Siahcheshm

Theses/Dissertations/Reports from 2021 2021

BASE-LABILE PROTECTING GROUPS FOR STEPWISE PEG SYNTHESIS , Logan D. Mikesell

COBALT, MOLYBDENUM, AND NICKEL COMPLEXES, NATURAL ZEOLITES, EPOXIDATION, AND FREE RADICAL REACTIONS , Nicholas K. Newberry

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEAR-INFRARED FLUORESCENT PROBES FOR SENSING pH, HYPOXIA AND PEROXYNITRITE , Shulin Wan

DETERMINATION OF MOLECULAR MARKERS OF VACCINIUM BERRY STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIALS THROUGH DIFFERENTIAL ANALYSIS WITH ULTRAHIGH RESOLUTION LC/MS , Abby Mikolitis

EXPLORING GLUT5 TARGETING FOR CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPY , Avik Ghosh

High-resolution molecular characterization of complex environmental mixtures: Aquatic dissolved organic matter and wildfire-influenced aerosol , Amna Ijaz

INVESTIGATING REDOX CHEMISTRY OF GRAPHITE, IRON OXIDE & IRON SURFACES , Mikhail Trought

Theses/Dissertations/Reports from 2020 2020

EXPLORING SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITY OF FRUCTOSE TRANSPORTERS EN ROUTE TO GLUT SPECIFIC PROBES FOR BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS , Vagarshak Vigenovich Begoyan

Macromolecular strategies for discovering disease-related proteins and new therapeutic agents , Christina Welch

RATIOMETRIC NEAR-INFRARED FLUORESCENT PROBES FOR THE SENSITIVE DETECTION OF INTRACELLULAR pH AND BIO-THIOLS IN LIVE CELLS , Shuai Xia

Theses/Dissertations/Reports from 2019 2019

Characterizing the physicochemical properties of TDP-43 protein and Acetylated Amyloid β peptides to discern its role in neurodegenerative diseases , Rashmi Adhikari

EXTREME MOLECULAR DIVERSITY IN BIOMASS BURNING ATMOSPHERIC ORGANIC AEROSOL OBSERVED THROUGH ULTRAHIGH RESOLUTION MASS SPECTROMETRY , Matthew Brege

METHOD CONSIDERATIONS FOR COMPOUND IDENTIFICATION IN COMPLEX MIXTURES USING ELECTROSPRAY IONIZATION ULTRAHIGH RESOLUTION MASS SPECTROMETRY , Tyler Leverton

MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF FREE TROPOSPHERIC ORGANIC AEROSOL AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS FOR MOLECULAR FORMULA ASSIGNMENT , Simeon Schum

NEAR-INFRARED FLUORESCENT PROBES FOR SENSITIVE DETERMINATION OF LYSOSOMAL & MITOCHONDRIAL pH IN LIVE CELLS , Wafa Mazi

SMALL MOLECULE-BASED FLUORESCENT MOLECULAR PROBES FOR FACILITATING BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH: RATIONAL DESIGN AND BIOIMAGING APPLICATIONS , Xin Yan

Synthesis of Oligodeoxynucleotides Containing Sensitive Electrophiles , Shahien Shahsavari

TOWARDS THE DISCOVERY OF OLIGONUCLEOTIDE CROSS-LINKING AGENTS , Bhaskar Halami

Theses/Dissertations/Reports from 2018 2018

DEVELOPING NOVEL MOLECULAR IMAGING AGENTS FOR SHEDDING LIGHT ON OXIDATIVE STRESS , Shanshan Hou

DEVELOPMENT OF NEAR-INFRARED FLUORESCENT PROBES FOR MONITORING LYSOSOMAL pH CHANGES , Jianheng Bi

DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF RUPTURE FORCE OF SINGLE TRIAZOLE MOLECULE BY ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPE AND SOLID PHASE SYNTHESIS OF MONODISPERSE POLYETHYLENE GLYCOLS , Ashok Khanal

NOVEL FLUORESCENT PROBES FOR VISUALIZATION OF pH CHANGES AND Zn (Ⅱ) IONS IN LIVE CELLS , Mingxi Fang

PHYSICOCHEMICAL, SPECTROSCOPIC PROPERTIES, AND DIFFUSION MECHANISMS OF SMALL HYDROCARBON MOLECULES IN MOF-74-MG/ZN: A QUANTUM CHEMICAL INVESTIGATION , Gemechis Degaga

Theses/Dissertations/Reports from 2017 2017

DEVELOPMENT OF A SYSTEM TO STUDY THE EFFECTS OF HISTONE MUTATIONS AND POST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATIONS ON NUCLEOSOME STRUCTURE VIA ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY , Chelsea Nikula

Fluorescent Probe Development for Fructose Specific Transporters in Cancer , Joseph Fedie

GLYCOBIOLOGICAL STUDIES THAT CAN HELP THYROID CANCER DETECTION AND THERAPY , Ni Fan

Heterologous Expression and Purification of Full-Length Human Polybromo-1 Protein , Sarah Hopson

NOVEL BIOCOMPOSITES AND NANOFIBERS BASED ON MODIFIED BIOMASS MATERIALS TO FACILITATE GREENER APPLICATIONS , Soha Albukhari

Theses/Dissertations/Reports from 2016 2016

Effect of disulfide bond scrambling on protein stability, aggregation, and cytotoxicity , Colina Dutta

FORMATION AND DEACTIVATION OF TRIMETHYLALUMINUM IN AIR CONDITIONER SIMULATOR AND MCM-41 SUPPORTED SILVER NANOPARTICLES FOR OXIDATION OF OLEFINS , Zhichao Chen

NEAR-INFRARED WATER-SOLUBLE FLUORESCENT PROBES FOR THE DETECTION OF LYSOSOMAL pH AND Zn (II) IONS , Cong Li

Novel Carbohydrate-Dependent Biological Properties of Human Health Related Lectins and Glycoconjugates , Melanie Talaga

SENSING AND MAPPING OF SURFACE HYDROPHOBICITY OF PROTEINS BY FLUORESCENT PROBES , Nethaniah Dorh

THE EFFECT OF POSTTRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATIONS ON PROTEIN AGGREGATION, MORPHOLOGY, AND TOXICITY , Mu Yang

Reports/Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS: PART A. TEMPERATURE-RESPONSIVE POLYMERS AND DRUG DELIVERY AND PART B. POLYMER MODIFICATION OF FISH SCALE AND THEIR NANO-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES , Xu Xiang

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF BODIPY-BASED FLUORESCENT PROBES FOR SENSING AND IMAGING OF CYANIDE, Zn (II) IONS, LYSOSOMAL pH AND CANCER CELLS , Jingtuo Zhang

Extracellular expression of alkaline phytase in Pichia pastoris and Development of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy methods for structural investigation of inositol polyphosphates , Sasha Teymorian

ON THE PROTECTIVE PROPERTIES OF GLYCINE BASED OSMOLYTES IN A THIOL REDUCING ENVIRONMENT , John Michael Hausman

SYNTHETIC OLIGODEOXYNUCLEOTIDE PURIFICATION VIA CATCHING BY POLYMERIZATION , Suntara Fueangfung

Reports/Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

DESIGN, SYNTHESIS AND APPLICATIONS OF FLUORESCENT AND ELECTROCHEMICAL PROBES , Giri K. Vegesna

EVOLUTION OF SELECTED ISOPRENE OXIDATION PRODUCTS IN DARK AQUEOUS AMMONIUM SULFATE , D.M. Ashraf Ul Habib

MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF ATMOSPHERIC ORGANIC MATTER IN BIOGENIC SECONDARY ORGANIC AEROSOL, AMBIENT AEROSOL AND CLOUDS , Yunzhu Zhao

NON-CHROMATOGRAPHIC PURIFICATION OF SYNTHETIC BIO-OLIGOMERS , Durga Prasad Pokharel

PURIFICATION AND CARBOHYDRATE BINDING PROPERTIES OF TWO NEW PLANT PROTEINS , Robert K. Brown

Reports/Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

ACETYL RADICAL IN TOBACCO SMOKE: DETECTION, QUANTIFICATION AND SIMULATION , Na Hu

CHARACTERIZATION OF TWO NOVEL MONOCOT MANNOSE BINDING LECTINS PURIFIED BY ‘CAPTURE AND RELEASE’ METHOD , Ashli L. Fueri

Development and characterization of fluorescent pH sensors based on porous silica and hydrogel support matrices , Qili Hu

Enhancement of heterologous expression of alkaline phytase in Pichia pastors , Mimi Yang

Modern Computational Chemistry Methods for Prediction of Ground- and Excited-State Properties in Open-Shell Systems , Nina Tyminska

Oligodeoxynucleotide synthesis using protecting groups and a linker cleavable under non-nucleophilic conditions , Xi Lin

STUDIES OF FUNCTIONALIZED NANOPARTICLES FOR SMART SELF-ASSEMBLY AND AS CONTROLLED DRUG DELIVERY , Xiaochu Ding

THERMORESPONSIVE PROPERTIES OF GOLD HYBRID NANOPARTICLES OF POLY(DI(ETHYLENE GLYCOL) METHYL ETHER METHACRYLATE) (PDEGMA) AND ITS BLOCK COPOLYMERS WITH DIFFERENT ANCHORING REGIMES , Martha Juliana Barajas Meneses

TUNING FLUORESCENT PROBES FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS , Nazmiye Bihter Yapici

Reports/Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Biological materials : Part A. tuning LCST of raft copolymers and gold/copolymer hybrid nanoparticles and Part B. biobased nanomaterials , Ning Chen

Characterization of water-soluble organic compounds in ambient aerosol using ultrahigh-resolution elctrospray ionization fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. , Parichehr Saranjampour

COORDINATION CHEMISTRY OF BIS(BENZYL)PHOSPHINATE , John S. Maass

DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL SYNTHETIC ANTIOXIDANTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF OXIDATIVE STRESS RELATED DISEASES , Srinivas Rao Mandalapu

Indole based antioxidants for the treatment of ischemia reperfusion injury , Andrew Chapp

Performance evaluation and characterization of symmetric capacitors with carbon black, and asymmetric capacitors using a carbon foam supported nickel electrode , JinJin Wang

Soft Lewis acid catalyzed cycloisomerization of oxo-alkynes and enynes , Zezhou Wang

Reports/Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Multimetallic complexes based on phosphine- and phosphine oxide- appended p -hydroquinones , Louis R. Pignotti

Performance evaluation of a novel asymmetric capacitor using a light-weight, carbon foam supported nickel electrode , Padmanaban Sasthan Kuttipillai

Structural characterization of water-soluble atmospheric organic matter by ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry , Jeffrey P. LeClair

Syntheses and structures of molybdenum and tungsten complexes capable of epoxidaton and copper coordination polymers and dendrimers , Linsheng Feng

Synthesis of chiral ferrosalen ligands and their applications in asymmetric catalysis , Xiang Zhang

Reports/Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Syntheses and characterization of monomeric Mo(VI) complexes with bidentate phosphine oxide ligands and dimeric and tetrameric Mo(V) clusters with benzoic acid and phosphinic acid derivatives, containing MoO 2 , Mo 2 O 2 ( μ -O) 2 and Mo 4 O 4 ( μ 3 -O) 4 , Soumyashree Sreehari

Reports/Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Molecular interaction between perthiolated [beta]-cyclodextrin (CD) and the guests molecules adamantaneacetic acid (AD) and ferroceneacetic acid (FC); and the effect of the interaction on the electron transition of CD anchored particles , Ming Ning

Reports/Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

Sulfoxides as an intramolecular sulfenylating agent for indoles and diverse applications of the sulfide-sulfoxide redox cycle in organic chemistry , Parag V. Jog

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Arts and Sciences > Chemistry > Theses and Dissertations

Chemistry Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Effects of Diminazene Aceturate on Drosophila melanogaster : A Lipidomic Analysis , Gabriela Suarez

Introductory Chemistry Student Success: Evaluating Peer-Led Team Learning and Describing Sense of Belonging , Jessica D. Young

Explorations on Non-Covalent Interactions: From Supramolecules to Drug-Like Molecules , Zhanpeng Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

aPKCs role in Neuroblastoma cell signaling cascades and Implications of aPKCs inhibitors as potential therapeutics , Sloan Breedy

Protein Folding Kinetics Analysis Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy , Dhanya Dhananjayan

Affordances and Limitations of Molecular Representations in General and Organic Chemistry , Ayesha Farheen

Institutional and Individual Approaches to Change in Undergraduate STEM Education: Two Framework Analyses , Stephanie B. Feola

Applications in Opioid Analysis with FAIMS Through Control of Vapor Phase Solvent Modifiers , Nathan Grimes

Synthesis, Characterization, and Separation of Loaded Liposomes for Drug Delivery , Sandra Khalife

Supramolecular Architectures Generated by Self-assembly of Guanosine and Isoguanosine Derivatives , Mengjia Liu

Syntheses, Photophysics, & Application of Porphyrinic Metal-Organic Frameworks , Zachary L. Magnuson

Integration of Algae and Biomass Processes to Synthesize Renewable Bioproducts for the Circular Economy , Jessica Martin

Chemical Analysis of Metabolites from Mangrove Endophytic Fungus , Sefat E Munjerin

Synthesis of Small Molecule Modulators of Non-Traditional Drug Targets , Jamie Nunziata

Conformational Dynamics and Free Energy Studies of DNA and Other Biomolecules , Paul B. Orndorff

Synthetic Studies of Potential New Ketogenic Molecules , Mohammad Nazmus Sakib

Coupling Chemical and Genomic Data of Marine Sediment-Associated Bacteria for Metabolite Profiling , Stephanie P. Suarez

Enhanced Methods in Forensic Mass Spectrometry for Targeted and Untargeted Drug Analysis , Dina M. Swanson

Investigation of Challenging Transformations in Gold Catalysis , Qi Tang

Diazirines and Oxaziridines as Nitrogen Transfer Reagents in Drug Discovery , Khalilia C. Tillett

Developing New Strategy toward Ruthenium and Gold Redox Catalysis , Chenhuan Wang

Gold-Catalyzed Diyne-ene Cyclization: Synthesis of Hetero Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons and 1,2-Dihydropyridines , Jingwen Wei

Development of Antiviral Peptidomimetics , Songyi Xue

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Investigating a Potential STING Modulator , Jaret J. Crews

Exploring the Structure and Activity of Metallo-Tetracyclines , Shahedul Islam

Metabolomic Analysis, Identification and Antimicrobial Assay of Two Mangrove Endophytes , Stephen Thompson

Bioactivity of Suberitenones A and B , Jared G. Waters

Developing Efficient Transition Metal Catalyzed C-C & C-X Bond Construction , Chiyu Wei

Measurement in Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics Education: Student Explanations of Organic Chemistry Reaction Mechanisms and Instructional Practices in Introductory Courses , Brandon J. Yik

Study on New Reactivity of Vinyl Gold and Its Sequential Transformations , Teng Yuan

Study on New Strategy toward Gold(I/III) Redox Catalysis , Shuyao Zhang

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Design, Synthesis and Testing of Bioactive Peptidomimetics , Sami Abdulkadir

Synthesis of Small Molecules for the Treatment of Infectious Diseases , Elena Bray

Social Constructivism in Chemistry Peer Leaders and Organic Chemistry Students , Aaron M. Clark

Synthesizing Laccol Based Polymers/Copolymers and Polyurethanes; Characterization and Their Applications , Imalka Marasinghe Arachchilage

The Photophysical Studies of Transition Metal Polyimines Encapsulated in Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF’s) , Jacob M. Mayers

Light Harvesting in Photoactive Guest-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks , Christopher R. McKeithan

Using Quantitative Methods to Investigate Student Attitudes Toward Chemistry: Women of Color Deserve the Spotlight , Guizella A. Rocabado Delgadillo

Simulations of H2 Sorption in Metal-Organic Frameworks , Shanelle Suepaul

Parallel Computation of Feynman Path Integrals and Many-Body Polarization with Application to Metal-Organic Materials , Brant H. Tudor

The Development of Bioactive Peptidomimetics Based on γ-AApeptides , Minghui Wang

Investigation of Immobilized Enzymes in Confined Environment of Mesoporous Host Matrices , Xiaoliang Wang

Novel Synthetic Ketogenic Compounds , Michael Scott Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Biosynthetic Gene Clusters, Microbiomes, and Secondary Metabolites in Cold Water Marine Organisms , Nicole Elizabeth Avalon

Differential Mobility Spectrometry-Mass spectrometry (DMS-MS) for Forensic and Nuclear-Forensic applications , Ifeoluwa Ayodeji

Conversion from Metal Oxide to MOF Thin Films as a Platform of Chemical Sensing , Meng Chen

Asking Why : Analyzing Students' Explanations of Organic Chemistry Reaction Mechanisms using Lexical Analysis and Predictive Logistic Regression Models , Amber J. Dood

Development of Next-Generation, Fast, Accurate, Transferable, and Polarizable Force-fields for Heterogenous Material Simulations , Adam E. Hogan

Breakthroughs in Obtaining QM/MM Free Energies , Phillip S. Hudson

New Synthetic Methodology Using Base-Assisted Diazonium Salts Activation and Gold Redox Catalysis , Abiola Azeez Jimoh

Development and Application of Computational Models for Biochemical Systems , Fiona L. Kearns

Analyzing the Retention of Knowledge Among General Chemistry Students , James T. Kingsepp

A Chemical Investigation of Three Antarctic Tunicates of the Genus Synoicum , Sofia Kokkaliari

Construction of Giant 2D and 3D Metallo-Supramolecules Based on Pyrylium Salts Chemistry , Yiming Li

Assessing Many-Body van der Waals Contributions in Model Sorption Environments , Matthew K. Mostrom

Advancing Equity Amongst General Chemistry Students with Variable Preparations in Mathematics , Vanessa R. Ralph

Sustainable Non-Noble Metal based Catalysts for High Performance Oxygen Electrocatalysis , Swetha Ramani

The Role of aPKCs and aPKC Inhibitors in Cell Proliferation and Invasion in Breast and Ovarian Cancer , Tracess B. Smalley

Development of Ultrasonic-based Ambient Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry , Linxia Song

Covalent Organic Frameworks as an Organic Scaffold for Heterogeneous Catalysis including C-H Activation , Harsh Vardhan

Optimization of a Digital Ion Trap to Perform Isotope Ratio Analysis of Xenon for Planetary Studies , Timothy Vazquez

Multifunctional Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) For Applications in Sustainability , Gaurav Verma

Design, Synthesis of Axial Chiral Triazole , Jing Wang

The Development of AApeptides , Lulu Wei

Chemical Investigation of Floridian Mangrove Endophytes and Antarctic Marine Organisms , Bingjie Yang

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

An Insight into the Biological Functions, the Molecular Mechanism and the Nature of Interactions of a Set of Biologically Important Proteins. , Adam A. Aboalroub

Functional Porous Materials: Applications for Environmental Sustainability , Briana Amaris Aguila

Biomimetic Light Harvesting in Metalloporphyrins Encapsulated/Incorporated within Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs). , Abdulaziz A. Alanazi

Design and Synthesis of Novel Agents for the Treatment of Tropical Diseases , Linda Corrinne Barbeto

Effect of Atypical protein kinase C inhibitor (DNDA) on Cell Proliferation and Migration of Lung Cancer Cells , Raja Reddy Bommareddy

The Activity and Structure of Cu2+ -Biomolecules in Disease and Disease Treatment , Darrell Cole Cerrato

Simulation and Software Development to Understand Interactions of Guest Molecules inPorous Materials , Douglas M. Franz

Construction of G-quadruplexes via Self-assembly: Enhanced Stability and Unique Properties , Ying He

The Role of Atypical Protein Kinase C in Colorectal Cancer Cells Carcinogenesis , S M Anisul Islam

Chemical Tools and Treatments for Neurological Disorders and Infectious Diseases , Andrea Lemus

Antarctic Deep Sea Coral and Tropical Fungal Endophyte: Novel Chemistry for Drug Discovery , Anne-Claire D. Limon

Constituent Partitioning Consensus Docking Models and Application in Drug Discovery , Rainer Metcalf

An Investigation into the Heterogeneity of Insect Arylalkylamine N -Acyltransferases , Brian G. O'Flynn

Evaluating the Evidence Base for Evidence-Based Instructional Practices in Chemistry through Meta-Analysis , Md Tawabur Rahman

Role of Oncogenic Protein Kinase C-iota in Melanoma Progression; A Study Based on Atypical Protein Kinase-C Inhibitors , Wishrawana Sarathi Bandara Ratnayake

Formulation to Application: Thermomechanical Characterization of Flexible Polyimides and The Improvement of Their Properties Via Chain Interaction , Alejandro Rivera Nicholls

The Chemical Ecology and Drug Discovery Potential of the Antarctic Red Alga Plocamium cartilagineum and the Antarctic Sponge Dendrilla membranosa , Andrew Jason Shilling

Synthesis, Discovery and Delivery of Therapeutic Natural Products and Analogs , Zachary P. Shultz

Development of α-AA peptides as Peptidomimetics for Antimicrobial Therapeutics and The Discovery of Nanostructures , Sylvia E. Singh

Self-Assembly of 2D and 3D Metallo-Supramolecules with Increasing Complexity , Bo Song

The Potential of Marine Microbes, Flora and Fauna in Drug Discovery , Santana Alexa Lavonia Thomas

Design, Synthesis, and Self-Assembly of Supramolecular Fractals Based on Terpyridine with Different Transition Metal Ions , Lei Wang

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Fatty Acid Amides and Their Biosynthetic Enzymes Found in Insect Model Systems , Ryan L. Anderson

Interrogation of Protein Function with Peptidomimetics , Olapeju Bolarinwa

Characterization of Nylon-12 in a Novel Additive Manufacturing Technology, and the Rheological and Spectroscopic Analysis of PEG-Starch Matrix Interactions , Garrett Michael Craft

Synthesis of Novel Agents for the treatment of Infectious and Neurodegenerative diseases , Benjamin Joe Eduful

Survey research in postsecondary chemistry education: Measurements of faculty members’ instructional practice and students’ affect , Rebecca E. Gibbons

Design, Synthesis, Application of Biodegradable Polymers , Mussie Gide

Conformational Fluctuations of Biomolecules Studied Using Molecular Dynamics and Enhanced Sampling , Geoffrey M. Gray

Analysis and New Applications of Metal Organic Frameworks (MOF): Thermal Conductivity of a Perovskite-type MOF and Incorporation of a Lewis Pair into a MOF. , Wilarachchige D C B Gunatilleke

Chemical Investigation of Bioactive Marine Extracts , Selam Hagos

Optimizing Peptide Fractionation to Maximize Content in Cancer Proteomics , Victoria Izumi

Germania-based Sol-gel Coatings and Core-shell Particles in Chromatographic Separations , Chengliang Jiang

Synthesis, Modification, Characterization and Processing of Molded and Electrospun Thermoplastic Polymer Composites and Nanocomposites , Tamalia Julien

Studies Aimed at the Synthesis of Anti-Infective Agents , Ankush Kanwar

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Thesis Preparation

The following information is provided to assist Chemistry graduate students as they prepare their theses. If graduate students have any questions that are not answered by this guide, they should email the Chemistry Education Office (questions about department policies) or MIT Libraries (for questions about thesis formatting, etc.)

Degree candidates must fill out the Degree Application via WebSIS at the start of the term. Important dates and deadlines (including late fees) for the upcoming academic year are listed below.  It is strongly advised that degree candidates apply for the degree list even if there is uncertainty about completing the thesis defense and submission by the  deadline, as there are no penalties for being removed from the degree list.

Students must successfully complete the thesis defense before submitting their final, signed thesis.

**Please note that the Specifications for Thesis Preparation were updated in November 2022. Please make sure you use these new guidelines.**

Important Dates & Deadlines

September 2024 degree list.

• Degree Application Deadline: June 14, 2024 ($50 late fee if submitted after this date, $85 late fee if submitted after July 21, 2024)
• Thesis Title Deadline:July 19, 2024 ($85 late fee if submitted after this date. If your thesis title is not finalized by this date, please enter your current working title and the final title can be updated later)
• Thesis Submission Deadline: August 16, 2024
• Last day of work in the lab: on or before August 31, 2024. If you plan to end your RA appointment earlier than August 31st, please contact Jennifer to review your timeline.
• Your degree will officially be conferred by MIT on September 18, 2024
• Information about the MIT Health Plan and graduation will be available online here.

February 2025 Degree List

• Degree Application Deadline: September 6, 2024 ($50 late fee if submitted after this date, $85 late fee if submitted after December 13, 2024)
• Thesis Title Deadline: December 13, 2024 ($85 late fee if submitted after this date. If your thesis title is not finalized by this date, please enter your current working title and the final title can be updated later)
• Thesis Submission Deadline: January 17, 2025
• Last day of work in the lab: on or before January 15, 2025. If you plan to end your RA appointment earlier than January 15th, please contact Jennifer to review your timeline.
• Your degree will officially be conferred by MIT on February 19, 2025

May 2025 Degree List

• Degree Application Deadline:February 7, 2025 ($50 late fee if submitted after this date, $85 late fee if submitted after April 11, 2025)
• Thesis Title Deadline: April 11, 2025 ($85 late fee if submitted after this date. If your thesis title is not finalized by this date, please enter your current working title and the final title can be updated later)
• Thesis Submission Deadline: May 9, 2025
• Last day of work in the lab: on or before May 28, 2025. If you plan to end your RA appointment earlier than May 28th, please contact Jennifer to review your timeline.
• Your degree will officially be conferred by MIT on May 29, 2025

Scheduling your Thesis Defense

All PhD candidates must have a Thesis Defense. As soon as your defense is finalized, please email the Chemistry Education Office with the date, time, location, and thesis title . Thesis defenses are strongly encouraged to be in-person.  If there are questions or concerns about an in-person defense, please reach out to Jennifer Weisman. When thesis defenses are on campus, we recommend reserving a room once the defense date is finalized, student can reserve department rooms through the online scheduling system or request a classroom via this form .

Degree candidates should provide their advisor with a copy of the thesis at least two weeks before the defense and provide their thesis committee chair and member with a copy at least one week before the defense. However, degree candidates should talk with their advisor, committee chair, and committee member to find out if they need the thesis further in advance or if there are preferred formats. Degree candidates should allow time in between their thesis defense and the submission deadline to make edits and submit the final copies.

Please note that most receiving a PhD degree are required to present a seminar as part of the thesis defense. This seminar is open to the department. The degree candidate is responsible for providing the Chemistry Education Office with information about their thesis defense at least two weeks ahead of time. Following the seminar, the candidate will meet privately with the thesis committee.

Thesis Formatting

The Institute has very specific requirements for thesis preparation, which were updated in November 2022. Specifications for Thesis Preparation is available on the library’s website and should be read very carefully. The MIT Thesis FAQ may answer additional questions and a helpful checklist is also provided. The specifications also include information about copyright and use of previously published material in a thesis . Do  not  rely on any templates or prior theses from your research group – they may not reflect the most current guidelines. We have highlighted some especially important points below.

Font & Spacing

Title page & committee signature page.

• The title page of the first copy will be digitally signed by the author, advisor, and Professor Adam Willard. The title page should contain the title, name of the author, previous degrees, the degree(s) to be awarded at MIT, the date the degree(s) will be conferred (May, September, or February only), copyright notice, and appropriate names and signatures. Degrees are awarded in Chemistry, regardless of your specific research area. Regardless of when you defend or submit your thesis, the date of degree conferral must be May/June, September, or February.
• As noted above, the title page will be signed by you, your advisor, and Professor Willard. You do not need to have Professor Willard digitally sign the thesis before you submit it, we will arrange to have him sign it. If your advisor has a title (ex., Firmenich Professor of Chemistry) it should also be included under their name. If you are not sure if they have a title, you can consult the Faculty Directory . Professor Willard should have the following listed under his name, on two separate lines: Professor of Chemistry; Graduate Officer
• Each student should place the appropriate copyright notice on the thesis title page. Copyright notice consists of four elements: the symbol “c” with a circle around it © and/or the word “copyright”; the year of publication (the year in which the degree is to be awarded); the name of the copyright owner; the words “All rights reserved” or your chosen Creative Commons license. All theses should have the following legend statement exactly: The author hereby grants to MIT a nonexclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to exercise any and all rights under copyright, including to reproduce, preserve, distribute and publicly display copies of the thesis, or release the thesis under an open-access license. Please carefully review the copyright information to determine the appropriate copyright ownership.
• The date under Signature of Author should be the date the final thesis is signed and submitted to the department.
• The title page is always considered to be page 1, and every page must be included in the count regardless of whether a number would be physically printed on a page. We recommend that you do not include the page number on the title page.
• There is also a signature page that will be digitally signed by your entire thesis committee. Your advisor will digitally sign your thesis twice, on the title page and signature page. The signature page is right after the title page.
• More details about digital signatures are provided below.

Table of Contents

Final thesis submission, general submission process.

Please carefully review the details below, including the file naming format . There are two steps to the final submissions process:

1. Submit the following documents to the Department of Chemistry:

• An electronic copy of your thesis in PDF/A-1 format (with no signatures)
• A PDF of the digitally signed title page and committee signature page (using DocuSign to obtain signatures)

Please send an email to your advisor, Jennifer Weisman, and Rebecca Drake, which includes the 2 PDFs above and the following text:

“Dear Professor/Dr X: Attached is the final version of my thesis. Please use reply-all to this message to indicate your acceptance of my thesis document and your recommendation for certification by my department.”

**Note: if your thesis document is too large to send via email, your email can include a link to access the document via Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.**

2. Submit your thesis information to MIT Libraries here . Choose to opt-in or opt-out of ProQuest license and publication.  Include the same copyright and license information that is on your thesis title page. Note: this does not involve submitting your actual thesis.

Details for Thesis Submission Process

• After the defense, the student and thesis committee reach agreement on the final thesis document.
• Students should follow the format specifications as stated in the Specifications for Thesis Preparation . Do not print or physically sign pages.
• Students will have the thesis signed electronically through DocuSign. This process is described in detail in the section below.
• The title page is always considered to be page 1, and every page must be included in the count regardless of whether a number is physically printed on a page. The entire thesis (including title page, prefatory material, illustrations, and all text and appendices) must be paginated in one consecutive numbering sequence. Your committee signature page should be page 2. Please see the  Sample Title Page and committee signature page for reference.
• You will still include the title page and committee signature page in the full thesis PDF, they just won’t have any signatures.
• The digitally signed title page and committee signature pages should be in one PDF, separate from the thesis document. This avoids a DocuSign tag at the top of each page of the full thesis. Please use the following naming convention: authorLastName-kerb-degree-dept-year-sig.pdf (ex., montgomery-mssimon-phd-chemistry-2021-sig.pdf).
• Students should save their final thesis document as a PDF using the following file naming convention: authorLastName-kerb-degree-dept-year-thesis .pdf (ex., montgomery-mssimon-phd-chemistry-2021-thesis.pdf).
• Students should not deposit the PDF of their thesis via the Libraries Library’s voluntary submission portal.
• Please send an email to your advisor, Jennifer, and William which includes the final thesis document and file with the digitally signed title/committee signature pages with the following text:

Please also complete the MIT Doctoral Student Exit Survey and your Laboratory Safety Clearance Form .

Digital Signatures

Please see here for a full guide (with screenshots) to using DocuSign to obtain digital signatures

Required Signatures:

These should be everyone’s uploaded digital signatures in their own handwriting, not one of the pre-formatted signatures created by DocuSign.

• Your signature on the thesis title page
• Your advisor’s signature on both the title page and committee signature page
• Your thesis committee chair’s and member’s signatures on the committee signature page
• You do not need to have Adam Willard sign your title page, the Chemistry Education Office will take care of that
• Full thesis with no signatures (including unsigned title page and thesis committee signature page)
• Title page and committee signature page with signatures via DocuSign

Accessing DocuSign

Thesis Hold Requests

Details about requesting a thesis hold are available here and the requests are made to different offices based on the type of request.

Written notification of patent holds and other restrictions must reach the Institute Archives before the thesis in question is received, as under normal circumstances, all theses are open and available for public inspection once they have been received by the Institute Archives.

Graduate Student Exit Interviews

In order to best serve the educational, scientific, and social needs of graduate students in the Chemistry Department, it is critically important that Departmental leadership be appropriately informed of issues of importance to graduate students, ideally on an ongoing basis. Graduate student exit interviews provide information that alert the Department to acute issues that affect graduate students and provide data for longitudinal assessments of graduate student experience within the program.Graduate exit interviews are administered to all graduate students departing the Chemistry Department. The exit interview applies equally to graduate students departing with completed degrees (Ph.D. and M.S.) and without degrees.

• Graduating students will be sent a list of interview questions by the Chemistry Education Office when the student joins the degree list. Instructions about scheduling a time for the in-person or virtual discussion will be included with other informational correspondence from the Chemistry Education Office regarding degree completion. Graduating students will perform their exit interview after the thesis defense so as to avoid making the interview an additional burden.
• For students departing the program without a degree, the interview questions and instructions for scheduling an in-person discussion will be sent by the Chemistry Education Office at the point in time that a date for termination of their appointment in Chemistry is determined.
• For the majority of departing students, this interview coincides with the end of the semester, but a rolling schedule of surveys is anticipated.

Postdoctoral/Research Specialist Appointments

If you plan to transition to a postdoctoral/research specialist appointment within the Department of Chemistry at MIT, please contact Jennifer Weisman and  Chemistry HR as soon as possible. If you are an international student, it is extremely important that you start this process early to allow sufficient timing for visa processing. In addition to talking with Jennifer and HR, please consult with the International Students Office .Your final signed thesis must be submitted before a postdoc appointment can start. IMPORTANT: If you need to enroll in the MIT employee health plan, then your appointment will need to last at least 90 days in order for you to remain benefits eligible. If your appointment were to last less than 90 days, MIT will retroactively cancel your health insurance, and any medical expenses you have during this time will be rebilled to you.

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A guide to writing up your chemical science thesis

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This guide aims to give you guidance on how to write your thesis so that your research is showcased at its best. It includes suggestions on how to prepare for writing up and things to consider during the final stages. 

• Higher-order thinking and metacognition
• Investigation
• Manipulating data
• Working independently
• Communication skills

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• DISSERTATION

The preparation of a satisfactory dissertation normally requires at least four years of full-time research. All students are expected to provide a public presentation of their Ph.D. research as part of their program requirements. The final manuscript must conform to the requirements described in Dissertations . The dissertation defense includes:

• A public presentation of the student's Ph.D research to which members of the CCB community will be invited, followed by
• The private Ph.D. dissertation defense before the Ph.D. Thesis Committee.

Students must submit the dissertation to the Ph.D. Thesis Committee at least 7 days before the defense date. The final manuscript must conform to the requirements described online on the GSAS website  here .

Once the date, time, and location of the dissertation defense has been scheduled by the student with the Committee Members, the student must notify Kathy Oakley in the Department Office, who will send an email announcement to CCB faculty, graduate students, and postdocs inviting them to the public presentation. The  CCB Doctoral Dissertation Form  must be submitted 1-2 weeks prior to the defense to  Kathy Oakley  in the Department office, M-132.  Please note that the doctoral dissertation form also has a new section on scheduling an exit interview with Dr. Josh Cox before or after your defense. The purpose of the exit interview is for you to tell Josh what has and has not worked for you during your time in CCB. Please contact Josh with any questions about the exit interview, and contact Kathy with questions about the dissertation form. 

GSAS Thesis Requirements

All PhD candidates are required to submit a copy of the dissertation via the ETDs @ Harvard submission tool  by the deadline established for each degree conferral date. (See the  GSAS Degree Calendar  page for more information on deadlines.) Dissertations must be submitted electronically to ETDs following their guidelines, including the requirement of embedded fonts. Note that GSAS rules supersede those of ETDs for format.

Program Completion Date

For international students on an F-1 visa, the F-1 visa will end on the program completion date. The program completion date is not necessarily the defense date. It is the date the student stops working in the lab, and any salary/stipend would be ended on that date. International graduate students on an F-1 visa may continue working in the lab as students after their defense until the dissertation submission deadline, if the PI agrees to pay them and they are still completing graduate research in their lab.  International students should wait until the week of their program completion date before submitting their dissertation, while being careful to meet all GSAS deadlines. U.S. citizens may continue working in in the lab as students after their defense until the end of the term, if the PI agrees to pay them and they are still completing graduate research in their lab.

Dissertation Embargo Requests

If necessary, students may request to delay the release of (“embargo”) their work when submitting their dissertation to  ETDs @ Harvard . Embargo requests greater than two years must be approved by the Department. For embargoes over two years, students must first get the approval of their advisor. Written approval from their advisor and a strong written academic reason for the embargo must be forwarded to the Co-Director of Graduate Studies,  Joe Lavin , for departmental approval. Students should not begin the process until they have permission of their advisor.

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Requirements, research proposal, research proposal and preliminary oral examination.

The preparation and defense of an original research proposal serves as the second portion of the preliminary examination. For this portion, there exists a Proposal Evaluation Committee (PEC) to consist of the student's entire graduate committee except for the member from outside the school. The school chair, if serving on the graduate committee as an ex-officio member, will be a non-voting member of this PEC. Initial work on the proposal should be initiated when the student begins taking cumulative examinations, as the first draft of the written proposal (see below) must be submitted to the PEC before the end of the student's fifth semester. Failure to submit the draft by the end of the fifth semester will result in discontinuation of assistantship support until the requirement is fulfilled. The student chooses the topic for an original research proposal. The topic must be approved by the Proposal Evaluation Committee (PEC) at a meeting in which the student outlines the proposal idea. The topic may use the techniques of the student's research project, but must not be an extension of the project. The proposal must be original with the student. After obtaining approval of the topic, the student will prepare a written proposal in accord with the prescribed format. (See Appendix IV.) During preparation, the student may obtain advice and suggestions from any faculty member but the proposal itself must be original with the student. The student must complete preparation of the proposal and submit it to the PEC before January of his or her third calendar year. The committee is allowed one week for evaluation of the proposal. The evaluation will include at least one meeting of the PEC. The evaluation shall be by a numerical score from 1.0 (lowest) to 4.0 (highest). An average score of 3.0 shall be required to pass. The scores will be accompanied by a written review by each voting PEC member. If the score is less than 3.0, the proposal must be revised and resubmitted within 30 days. The re-evaluation will follow the same procedure as described above. Only one re-submission is allowed. A second failure will be reported in writing by the PEC to the School Chair and to the Director of Graduate Studies. The latter will request that the Graduate School terminate the student from our doctoral program. In most cases, the students will be eligible for a Master’s degree. When the score is less than 3.0, copies of the final approved proposal must be provided to all members of the student's graduate committee at least one week before the date of the preliminary oral examination. Within 30 days of receiving notification of a passing grade, the student shall schedule a preliminary oral examination (defense of the proposal). This oral defense shall consist of a formal open seminar at which the student will present the proposal for credit as Chemistry 595. After questions from the general audience, the student's graduate committee will conduct an oral examination of the student. The grade for Chemistry 595 is based on the oral presentation and is independent of the oral examination. Only one attempt is allowed to pass the preliminary oral examination (defense of the research proposal). However, if the committee cannot decide whether to pass or fail the student at the end of the scheduled examination time, they may vote to continue the examination at a later date. Only one such continuation is allowed. The decision of the committee to pass the student or to continue the examination must be made with a majority vote of the committee. The student, the School Chair, and the director of graduate studies will be notified by the Chair of the graduate committee in writing on the next working day after the examination whether the result was Pass, Fail, or Continue. If a continuation is required, it must be scheduled no earlier than 30 days and no later than 90 days after the original oral examination date. Students in the Ph. D. program must complete the proposal defense by the end of third year in residence. Failure to complete the proposal defense by the end of third year will result in discontinuation of assistantship support until the requirement is fulfilled. If the student has not completed the defense by the end of the third year, the student will have one semester in which to complete the proposal defense (without assistantship support). Failure to complete the proposal by the deadline will result in termination from the graduate program. 4/5  Effective 12/13/07

A research project is required of all graduate students. A student in the doctoral program must earn at least 32 credit hours in research and dissertation (Chemistry 598 and 600). A minimum of 24 hours must be dissertation credit (Chemistry 600). The results of the research must be presented in the form of a dissertation acceptable both to the student's committee and to the Graduate School.

Home > Chemistry > Chem TDs > Masters Theses

Chemistry Masters Theses

Theses from 2020 2020.

NANODIAMONDS AND CARBON NANO-ONIONS CERAMIC COMPOSITES AND THEIR APPLICATIONS , Ibrahim Munkaila Abdullahi

Theses from 2017 2017

In situ pH determination based on the NMR analysis of ¹H-NMR signal intensities and ¹⁹F-NMR chemical shifts , Ming Huang

Theses from 2016 2016

Tracking silver, gold, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles through drinking water systems by single particle - inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry , Ariel Renee Donovan

Theses from 2015 2015

In vitro study of wound-healing capabilities of bioactive glass fibers under various culture conditions , Sisi Chen

CapPack devices for enhanced qNMR measurements in 1 H NMR spectroscopy , Lingyu Chi

Theses from 2013 2013

Part I: Increased leaching of arsenic, selenium, molybdenum, and vanadium from high calcium coal ash containing trona reaction products. Part II: Using agricultural byproduct rice hull as biosorbent to remove and recover metal ions in water , Yongbo Dan

Role of nicotine in oxidative stress , Rakesh Kacham

Comparative evaluation of N-acetylcysteine and N-acetylcysteine amide in acetaminophen-induced oxidative stress , Ahdab Naeem Khayyat

Theses from 2011 2011

Relaxation imaging to characterize lightweight polymer-crosslinked aerogels , Emmalou T. Satterfield

Theses from 2010 2010

Water analysis for emerging environmental contaminants , Xiaoliang Cheng

Comparing the chelating abilities of N-acetylcysteine and N-acetylcysteine amide in vitro for lead poisoning treatment , Weiqing Chen

Theses from 2008 2008

Obscurant oil characterization produced through vaporization by exhaust gas of mini-jet turbine engine , Hossein Daniel Bahaghighat

Polymer reinforced aerogels and composites A. Polyimide crosslinked aerogels B. Silica-polymethylmethacrylate composites , Vishal U. Patil

A rapid method for determination of alpha hydroxy acids in seawater and biological fluids at trace levels , Ryan Lee Schwiderski

N-Acetylcystein amide protects against methamphetamine-induced oxidative stress in human brain endothelial cells , Xinsheng Zhang

Theses from 2007 2007

Physical analysis of human hair , Lea Marie Dankers

Theses from 2006 2006

X-ray photoelectron, Raman and attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy studies of sonochemically oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes , Robert V. Hull

Part I, Synthesis and characterization of biogenic oil esters ; Part II, Assessment of relative antioxidant activities of selected antioxidants in different matrices , Ranjith Kolli

New Schiff base complexes: Synthesis and their properties : [N,N'-bis (3-methoxysalicylidene)-o-phenylenediamine] Nickel (II), [N,N'-bis-salicylidene-3,4-diaminotoluene] Nickel (II) and helical-chain copper (II) complex from 4(5) -imidazolecarboxaldehyde and ß-alanine , Feng Liu

Effect of plasticizer on segmental dynamics of bulk and adsorbed poly(vinyl acetate)-d₃ , Rakesh R. Nambiar

Effects of a newly synthesized thiol antioxidant on doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress , Rong Shi

Enzymatic synthesis and characterization of acidic amino acid oligomers , Hao Wang

Synthesis and characterization of some Schiff base metal complexes , Lili Wang

Functionalization of mesoporous silicas as powders for support and immobilization of Pd catalysts and as monolithic framework for building strong lightweight materials , Xiaojiang Wang

Theses from 2005 2005

Particulate matter (PM) emissions analysis for commercial aircraft operating in the landing and takeoff (LTO) cycle , Niharika Burla

Bound carbonyls in adsorbed PMMA-r-PS copolymers , Pavan K. Challa

Enzymatic synthesis and LC, MS and MS-MS characterization of tailored peptides , Hareesh Kumar Reddy Palli

Oxidation of trichloroethylene by microsomal cytochrome P450 enzymes , Arun Sahu

Effect of chiral solution precursors in the epitaxial electrodeposition of metal oxides , Jonathan Edward Stewart

Theses from 2004 2004

Binuclear phthalocyanine core controversy: aromatic vs. diene core , Srinivas Achanta

Application of soybean oil methyl ester for remediation of PCBs contaminated soil , Lijun Fan

Analysis of transient particulate emissions in jet engine exhausts , Sesha Krishna Kattamuri

Effect of food processing techniques on phytosterol, tocopherol and volatile content in soybean and soybean derived foods , Naga Mallika Surapaneni

Theses from 2003 2003

Polymer-metal interactions , Ayse Beyaz

Glycoprotein characterization by HPLC-ESI-MS and anticancer drug screening and mechanism study , Junnan Chen

Part 1, Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of Ru(3,8-dibromo-1,10-phenanthroline)₃(PF₆)₂ ; Part 2, Magnetic field and temperature effects on the emission properties of d- and 1- tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) complexes , Penggao Duan

A study of in vitro and in vivo toxicity of 3-nitro-L-tyrosine , Wei Hu

Capillary electrophoresis and its applications in the biological sciences: coenzyme A, polyamines and catecholamines , Guanshu Liu

Assessment of biodegradability and mutagenicity of methyl soyate and mineral oils , Shilpa (Shilpa Suresh Mathkar

In general, the voltammeteric current from a mixture of redox-active substances will not be the sum of the currents that each substance would produce at the same concentration independently , Woon Su Oh

Theses from 2002 2002

Selective recovery of triglycerides, phytosterols, tocopherols and isoflavones from soybean , Sabrina Forni

Glass transition behavior of thin poly(methyl methacrylate) films on silica , Moses T. Kabomo

The aerosol and chemical characteristics of rocket exhaust in the stratosphere , Andrew P. Rutter

Theses from 2001 2001

Characterization of scrap tires and printed circuit boards pyrolysis products , Shuping Ai

The effects of variable molecular weight and solvents, in water-reducible acrylic resins , John Adrion Jones

Catalytic effect of copper ions on homocysteine auto-oxidation to induce oxidative stress , Douglas Robert Krutil

Synthesis of transition metal substituted large crystal zeolite ZSM-5 , Tara Lyn Schaeffer

Applications of supercritical fluid extraction and chromatography for determination of cholesterol oxides in biological matrices , Uma Maheswar Rao Srirangam

Theses from 2000 2000

Synthesis of crosslinkable water reducible acrylic copolymers for coatings , Mandar R. Bhave

Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of 2,7-diazapyrenium compounds , Zhan Mao

Evaluation of (the intrinsic conducting polymer) polyaniline as a corrosion inhibitor on (aircraft grade) aluminum alloys , Matthew Shannon Pittman

Theses from 1999 1999

The role of additives and diluents in copper deposition from organic solutions , David Samuel Gillis

Jet engine particulate emissions as a function of fuel formulation (additives) , Melissa R. Wilson

Plausible antioxidant functions of N-acetylcysteine and D-penicillamine in the treatment of copper toxicity , Mozow Yusof

Theses from 1998 1998

Characterization of petroleum fog oil and vegetable oil smokes , Andrew Oliver LaRouche

A study on degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in contaminated matrices with gamma radiation , Qunhui Liu

Evaluation of the coordination chemistry of 2-(2'-pyridyl)imidazole with selected palladium (II) compounds , Theresa Marie Pierce

Alumoxane-based corrosion resistant coatings for aluminum substrates , Yue Wu

Determination of biological thiols by HPLC following derivatization by ThioGlo[trademark symbol] maleimide reagents , Bing Yang

Theses from 1996 1996

Evaluation of macrocyclic antibiotics as chiral selectors for high performance liquid chromatography , Christina Sue Bagwill

Assessment of entrapped freon in polyurethane foams and its release into the atmosphere , Susrut Kesari

Segmental motion of surface-bound swollen poly(methyl acrylate)-d , Minghua Liang

The effects of 4-Hydroxynonenal and N-Acetyl-L-cysteine on c-Myc induced apoptosis , Deniz Yildiz

Theses from 1995 1995

Synthesis and characterization of water reducible MMA-MMA copolymers , Hua-Jung Hu

The in vitro study of metabolic effects of D- and L- forms of amino acids on tumor cell growth , Xiang Luo

Theses from 1993 1993

Thermal stability of chymotrypsin using UV-VIS and Raman spectroscopy , Ashik Chandra

Thermodynamic investigation of the sphere-rod transition in the presence of organic electrolytes , Yvonne Liske

Organic titanates as coupling agents for Kevlar/phenolic composites , Nalini Menon

Optical emission spectroscopy study of interaction of a metal chelate with RF plasma , Wu-Sheng Shih

Synthetic approaches for intermediates of 1,8-naphthalene phthalocyanines , Alexander Albert Williams

Theses from 1992 1992

The preparation of silicon-containing monomers : dimethylbis(aminophenyl)silane and 1,3-tetramethylbis(p-aminophenyl)disiloxane , Louis Chi-Kuo Hsieh

Effect of in vivo lead exposure on lymphocyte response to in vitro mitogenic stimulation , Chaandini Jayachandran

Removal of organic compounds from water via derivatized cyclodextrins , Deanna Lynn Schmid

Cyclodextrin stationary phases for the chromatographic separation of gases , William Taylor Wall

Theses from 1991 1991

Templating of plastics for coatings , Ree-Hsueh Wang

Theses from 1990 1990

Molecular mobility in a model polymer composite , Joan Ethel Gambogi

Selenium and tellurium in cigarette tobacco, smoke and ash , Se-Il Kim

Interaction of 1,2-dimethoxyethane and 1,2-dimethoxyethane/water mixtures with poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) based hydrogels , Wei Liu

Synthesis of linear aliphatic polysulfides and their corrosion inhibiting effects , Emerentiana Sianawati

The relative rates of tertiary amine oxidations with hydrogen peroxide as measured by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy , Patrick L. Weaver

Correlation of corrosion resistance of protective coatings with adhesion, moisture permeability, and oxygen permeability , Wen-Jung Yu

Theses from 1989 1989

The determination of selenium and tellurium in lead alloys by graphite furnace and hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry , Gregory James. Fox

Theses from 1988 1988

High performance liquid chromatography as an analytical method for determining the relative reactivity of the hydroxyl groups of methyl-4,6-0-benzylidene-alpha-D-glucoside and methyl-alpha-D-glucoside , R. Kevin Anderson

Adhesion of polyurethane coatings to an aluminum substrate and glass fiber reinforced polyurethane composites with contact clarity , Michael James Carr

Ultrasonic dispersion of pigment in solvent based paints , James O. Stoffer

Thermal, mechanical and interfacial characterization of a fiberglass reinforced plastic composite , Theodore J. Williams

Adhesion and corrosion testing as a means of coatings evaluation , Jie Xu

Theses from 1987 1987

Temperature dependent ternary solution behavior of aqueous nonionic surfactant systems containing aliphatic ketones , Gregg Alan Barnes

Development of tests for measurement of adhesion of coatings , Surendra Kanhaiyalal Gadodia

The synthesis and characterization of polycarbonates based on 1,1'-dihydroxyethyl-2,2'-biimidazole , Judith J. Garces

Study of glass matrixing of marine antifouling agents for surface coating application , Angela M. Ross

Non-aqueous carboxylic-carboxylate microemulsion , Diep Thi Vo

Theses from 1986 1986

Syntheses and characterization of macromolecules by reaction of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and dihydroxyethyl biimidazole , Weichen Chi

Ultrasonic despersion of pigment in water based paints , Maher Fahim

The acylation of primary and secondary amines by the N-hydroxysuccinmide esters of unsubstituted and substituted styrlacetic acids , Lawrence D. Rutledge

Theses from 1985 1985

Nucleation of zinc by electrodeposition onto glassy carbon from acidic zinc sulfate solutions , Beverly J. Flori

The structure of oligomers released by enzymatic hydrolysis of the alkali-insoluble cell wall polysaccharide of Schizophyllum commune , Abbas K. Samadi

Structural determination of an extracellular polysaccharide from Phanerochaete Chrysosporium , Anthony Allan Stevens

Theses from 1984 1984

The preparation and evaluation of alkyd resins that comply with solvent restrictive regulations , Karen Kohl Beckmann

The effect of cobalt driers on the drying and the post-cure embrittlement of Pale Bodied Varnish Linseed Oil in Mineral Spirits and 1,1,1-Trichloroethane , Esin Gunay

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Research Proposal

Research Proposal:  Within six months of forming the dissertation committee (i.e., no more than nine months after passing the qualifying examination), doctoral students must make an oral presentation to their Doctoral Dissertation Committee on the scope of their proposed research. Prior to the presentation, the PhD candidate has to develop a PhD Research Proposal. The proposal is a written document identifying the topic for the PhD candidate’s planned doctoral dissertation. Further, the proposal should describe preliminary work done by the candidate as well as provide a detailed plan for the rest of the dissertation research. The Doctoral Dissertation Committee reviews the written proposal and hears an oral presentation by the PhD candidate outlining the main points of the proposal. The oral presentation typically lasts 30 – 40 min, and it is followed by a discussion led by the PhD Dissertation Committee members. The Doctoral Dissertation Committee must formally approve the proposal within a maximum of three additional months.  This ensures meeting the requirements that doctoral students must have an approved dissertation committee and an approved dissertation proposal within a year of passing the qualifying examination.  The approved and signed proposal must be submitted to the Advisor for Graduate Studies so that it is kept in the student’s file.

To confirm defense of your proposal, fill out the form at this linked page https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfn3tcm8Wbh0OCmjXSGFA3C3j2kqXyO...

A Research Guide of Chemistry Sources

• Library Instruction - Chemistry
• Chemistry Databases
• Major Database: SciFinder
• Major Databases: REAXYS
• Major Database: KnowItAll U spectra database
• Open-Access Publishing
• ChemRxiv: The Preprint Server for Chemistry
• Major Database: Science of Synthesis
• CAS Registry Number
• Chemical and Physical Properties of Substances
• Specialized Chemistry Sources
• Webinars for Chemistry, Geosciences and Environmental Studies: upcoming and previously recorded
• ACS Author module for Canvas
• ACS Style Guide to Scholarly Communication
• For Chemistry Juniors
• Browsing Chemistry ejournals
• 2021 Nobel in Chemistry, Library Research for asymmetric organocatalysis
• Chemistry Theses & Dissertations
• ACS Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity
• ACS In Focus
• Summer 2024

Chemistry Theses & Dissertations

Department of chemistry  https://chemistry.princeton.edu/.

Princeton University Undergraduate Senior Theses, 1926-2021 

https://dataspace.princeton.edu/handle/88435/dsp018c97kq479

Princeton University Doctoral Dissertations, 2011-2022  

https://dataspace.princeton.edu/handle/88435/dsp01sf2685121

Princeton University Library catalog, Chemistry undergraduate senior theses  - call number = SrTh CHM  https://bit.ly/3ilJGrV

Department of Chemistry records, 1893-2017  https://findingaids.princeton.edu/catalog/AC358

Chemistry Librarian Presentations

3660027 - Citation analysis for open-access content in theses and dissertations

American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring 2022 Conference 

The Ethics and Equity of Open:

06:00pm - 09:35pm USA / Canada - Eastern - March 22, 2022 

Judith N Currano , Organizer, Presider;  Dr. Ye Li , Organizer;  Professor Patricia Ann Mabrouk, Ph.D., F.A.C.S. , Organizer, Presider

Division: [CINF] Division of Chemical Information; Session Type: Oral - Virtual

Co-Sponsor/Theme:  Co-sponsor - Cooperative ETHX: Committee on Ethics

06:35pm - 07:05pm USA / Canada - Eastern - March 22, 2022 

Emily C. Wild, MLIS , Presenter

Abstract 

Each year, undergraduate and graduate students complete senior theses and PhD dissertations within the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University. During the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic, access to some content became challenging, and students became more aware of open-access and subscription content availability while researching remotely and worldwide. This session will be an analysis of citations for open-access content within theses and dissertations, as well as an analysis of the chemistry theses and dissertations as cited works in other research publications.

Division: [CINF] Division of Chemical Information

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• Last Updated: Aug 5, 2024 10:51 PM

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100s of Free Chemistry Dissertation Topics & Ideas

Published by Owen Ingram at January 2nd, 2023 , Revised On August 18, 2023

It is not easy to come up with intriguing and compelling chemistry dissertation topic ideas , especially if one is juggling multiple subjects or looking at adjacent fields simultaneously. Students often choose simple and familiar topics for their dissertation papers, but that is not always effective since excellent academic papers are distinctive.

From mode reactions to experimental procedures, the selected chemistry topic should be analytical and scientific in nature. It is essential to avoid a topic that is too specific, intricate, or broad. For instance, students can explore issues related to environmental chemistry or chemical reagents. The student should ensure that the chosen subject has a clearly defined emphasis.

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Here are some ideas to explore if you’re having trouble selecting a topic for your chemistry dissertation:

Organic Chemistry Dissertation Topics

• Infrared spectroscopy is used to detect chemical molecules
• Discuss the chemical makeup of pain relievers
• What causes aromatic compounds to be nonreactive?
• Determine the variables that drive proton chemical changes
• The composition, application, and impact of added polymers or plastics
• Chemical synthesis is based on carbon-carbon bond formation processes
• Developing novel ways for producing chiral compounds
• Investigating the structure and reactivity of carbon nanotubes
• Metal complexes containing organometallic ligands are being studied
• Improving the thermal stability of benzene derivatives
• Investigating novel approaches to controlling the stereochemistry of chemical reactions
• Investigation of the role of enzymes in organic synthesis
• Developing innovative techniques to overcome drug resistance
• Creating new techniques for identifying explosive residues
• The investigation of the behaviour of organometallic compounds in biological systems

Inorganic Chemistry Dissertation Topics

• The health consequences of various substances
• Discuss in depth the chemical processes that result in sapphire production
• Introduction to the chemistry of sulphuric acid
• Discuss how silicon dioxide may be used in solar cells
• What exactly do you mean by orbital hybridization in molecules?
• Discuss the chemical structure of hard and soft acids
• What exactly do you mean by Crystal Field Theory?
• Steel vs iron malleability: A comparison
• What do you mean by the Multiple Proportions Law?
• Give instances of Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures
• Understanding Lewis Structures as well as Electron Dot Models
• How does a gemstone’s chemical structure affect its colour?
• What roles do point groups play in inorganic chemistry?
• How can molecular symmetry predict a molecule’s chemical properties?
• What is the most efficient method of producing synthetic diamonds?

Chemical Engineering Dissertation Topics

• Describe the role of biofuel in rocket fuel
• What exactly do you mean by microfluidics?
• Explain the wastewater treatment process
• Explain in detail the rare earth extractions
• What do you mean by reducing NOx emissions?
• What exactly do you mean by molecular dynamics and simulation?
• What exactly do you mean by simulation of density functional theory?
• What exactly do you mean by Nano filters, and how do they work?
• Discuss how coal and iron ore slimes are processed
• Explain how photocatalysis works in a 3D printer
• Explain the similarities and differences between rocket fuel and biofuels
• Describe molecular dynamics and simulation
• What exactly are nanofiltration systems, and how do they function?
• Explain the density functional theory simulation
• Analyze the processing of iron and coal slimes

Physical Chemistry Dissertation Topics

• When does a collision not result in a response?
• Examine harmonic and anharmonic oscillators
• Define the energies of successive ionization
• How can intermolecular forces influence a substance’s melting point?
• Why is the Earth considered a closed thermodynamic system?
• Explain how to utilize the mean bond enthalpy
• Reasons why molecules with polar connections may not have a persistent dipole
• What is the relationship between quantum mechanics and chemistry?
• What exactly do you mean by vibrational spectroscopy?
• Examine the similarities and differences between harmonic and anharmonic oscillators
• What exactly do you mean by multielectron atoms?
• In basic terms, discuss the elements of heteroatomic. Bonding between chemicals
• Provide a thorough examination of the Schrodinger Equation
• Describe the physical and chemical characteristics of the gas
• Explain the process of water expansion during the freezing process

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Biochemistry Dissertation Topics

• Evaluate the effect of PH on the plants
• Describe in detail cell metabolic processes. Define the structure of proteins and their involvement in chemical and physiological changes in the living organism
• Explain the process of fatty acid metabolism in the human body
• Explain the proliferation and repair of DNA
• Examine the structure and function of carbohydrates in the living organism
• Provide an in-depth analysis of the composition and function of nucleic acids
• Explain some of the unique characteristics of water
• Discuss the roles of lipids in biological systems
• Explain how the tea brewing process may be improved
• Discuss the significance of biochemistry in the human immune system

Environmental Chemistry Dissertation Topics

• What are the chemical reactions and compositions responsible for cloud formation?
• Explain the chemical reactions that result in the creation of pearls
• How industrial activities and acid rains are correlated with each other?
• What lessons can one learn from ecological disasters such as Chornobyl and Fukushima?
• Building green energy and its scope that lies in future
• Purification of the tap water through the application of chlorine
• How do the chemical changes in the atmosphere result in global warming?
• What are the adverse results of deep-sea mining?
• Discuss the contamination risks of groundwater in developing economies
• Plastic packaging and its impact on the overall quality of food we consume

Analytical Chemistry Dissertation Topics

• What exactly do you mean by Chemical Equilibrium?
• Describe some of the most effective electro-analytical procedures
• What are the advantages of the isomerism framework?
• Name a few of the most effective electrochemical applications
• Develop the overall idea of Soda Industrial Quality Assurance
• Examine the evolution of spectroscopic applications
• What exactly do you mean by Electrodes and Potentiometry?
• Make a comparison of the vitamin pills
• Discuss with examples the characteristics of acid-base titrations
• Sustainable development and analytical chemistry
• Methods and best practices for atomic absorption spectroscopy
• In Ibuprofen use, analytical chemistry and the pharmaceutical industry.
• UV protectors: analytical chemistry and the cosmetics sector
• What happens when food molecules interact with one another?
• How to make new compounds or enhance old ones

Computational Chemistry Dissertation Topics

• Discuss the evolution of chemical sensors in depth
• What are the primary advantages of dye-sensitized solar cells?
• Investigate the hydrogen bonding simulation process in depth
• What exactly do you mean by metal oxide nanoparticles?
• Explain in detail the heterogeneous catalytic CO2 to the CH3OH conversion process
• Energy surfaces are mathematical functions that provide a molecule with a function based on its geometry: Elaborate
• What exactly do you mean by Coupled Cluster Theory?
• Explain how NBO, or natural bond orbitals, produce the highest electron density

Nuclear Chemistry Dissertation Topics

• What are the most prevalent applications for radioactive elements?
• How do you determine the half-life of an element?
• Hydrogen’s importance in nuclear fusion
• Compare the effectiveness of various extraction processes
• The discovery of radioactivity by Henri Becquerel
• What biological uses does radiochemistry have?
• Water and radioactive elements interact
• What role does nuclear chemistry have in medicine?
• How do elements transform during nuclear fission?
• Irradiation can be used to eliminate hazardous chemical molecules
• The negative consequences of ionizing radiation vs non-ionizing radiation
• What role does chemosensory play in radiation chemistry?

Green Chemistry Dissertation Topics

• Discuss the twelve green chemistry concepts
• Discuss the most important challenges in green chemistry nowadays
• Compare the efficiency of various solar cell materials
• What are the most efficient techniques to extract and utilize key materials sustainably?
• Electrocatalysis is a method of producing and using fuels
• Will growing meat become a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional farming?
• Innovative pesticide-free agriculture methods
• What are the different kinds of bio-based sustainable feedstocks?
• How do metathesis reactions aid in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions?
• Explore the most effective methods to reduce carbon pollution

Common Chemistry Dissertation Topics

• The Evolution of Chemical Warfare What is the next step?
• How did Chemistry become one of the most dangerous scientific professions?
• Discuss the role of chemicals in political assassinations throughout history
• The history of the use of chemistry as a weapon in genocide during the Holocaust
• The relevance of human rights and the notion of lethal injection
• What role does chemistry play in murder or euthanasia?
• How might chemistry aid in detecting and differentiating natural and manufactured diseases?
• Why is the use of petroleum products regarded as hazardous?
• What are the generational consequences of herbicide exposure?
• How is pollution a significantly greater threat than melting ice caps?
• Investigating the four distinct states of matter: Why is plasma so rare on Earth?
• Why is lithium considered one of the most successful battery materials?
• Examine the impact of PH on planets
• Describe the formation of synthetic diamonds
• Discuss how to maximize tea brewing
• Explain how heavy metals in plants are identified
• Examine the air that people breathe
• Why is it risky to use petroleum products?
• Describe how chemistry might help indoor plants
• Explain how to clean oil successfully

This concludes the extensive list of c hemistry dissertation topic ideas produced by the industry’s best dissertation writers . It is our pleasure to inform you that these themes can be used not only for chemistry dissertations but also for research journal papers.

Nevertheless, it is a challenging task to write a flawless chemistry dissertation. You must have excellent analytical and dissertation writing skills in order to produce a well-structured dissertation . No need to worry. Our team of experts is here to help you along the way. We are happy to assist you to come up with an original chemistry dissertation topic . Our customer service is active 24/7.

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How to find dissertation topics about chemistry.

To find chemistry dissertation topics:

• Research recent breakthroughs.
• Explore unresolved questions.
• Consider interdisciplinary areas.
• Review scientific journals.
• Consult professors for ideas.
• Select a topic aligning with your passion and career aspirations.

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Document Preparation

Student responsibility.

PhD and master’s students are responsible for meeting all requirements for preparing theses and dissertations. They are expected to confer with their advisors about disciplinary and program expectations and to follow Graduate School procedure requirements.

Graduate School Role

The Graduate School certifies that theses and dissertations have been prepared as required. Graduate School staff members are available to provide information and to review documents at any stage of the planning or writing process. The Graduate School will not accept documents if required items are missing. The Graduate School cannot provide hands on training or editing of a document to meet formatting and digital accessibility standards. The Graduate School will not extend deadlines because of miscommunication between the student and the advisor. 

Required Format Features

Ohio State dissertations and theses must contain the following format features, which must be identified with a major heading that is centered below at least a one-inch top margin. The Graduate School highly recommends you use one of the templates in the following section as many of these features are already setup to help simplify the process. Visit our format review page for more information on format review and submission.

Specific Required Format Features

• Title page 
• Copyright 
• Abstract 
• Table of Contents 
• List of Figures 
• Bibliography 
• List of Tables (if applicable) 
• List of Illustrations (if applicable) 
• Appendices (if applicable)

Digital Accessibility Features (Features implemented beginning Spring 2023)

*(see links below for information about applying these features)

Graduate School Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Accessibility Plan

• PDF file includes full text
• PDF accessibility permission flag is checked
• Text language of the PDF is specified
• PDF includes a title
• Images, figures, and tables have descriptive captions and/or alt tags explaining content

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OSU Login is required for access.

Optional Features 

• Frontispiece (if used, no heading is included on this page) 
• Dedication 
• Acknowledgments

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Dissertation, Doctoral Project, and Thesis Information & Templates

Note: Forms required for the submission of theses and dissertations are available on the  Academic Forms  page.

Important Notes for Dissertation, Doctoral Project & Thesis Writers

• Information is available in Section IV.B.2 Research on Human Subjects of the  Graduate Bulletin   (from the  Resources and Policies page ).
• Additional information and forms are available on the   IRB website . Your IRB approval number must be included on the Thesis or Dissertation Proposal Form.
• Consult the  Guidelines for Dissertation, Doctoral Project and Thesis Writers  before beginning your thesis or dissertation.
• Download a template to assist with formatting your work. The templates are unlocked and can be edited (links to the template can be found in the “Submission Procedures” sections below).
• Check the Resources & Guidelines section of the ProQuest website for instructions on using the site. The Library has created a very informative series of  short videos  about the choices you must make on the ProQuest site.
• Additional information on copyright, publishing options and other topics is available on  Lauinger’s Scholarly Communication  website.
• More information about the requirements for dissertations, doctoral projects and theses can be found in the  Graduate Bulletin .

Submission of the Thesis, Doctoral Project or Dissertation

Information on the forms required leading up to a defense and also afterward appear on Submission of Thesis  and  Submission of Dissertation or Doctoral Project .

Download a Thesis / Doctoral Project / Dissertation Template

(for Master’s and Doctoral candidates) We recommend that you download a Thesis / Doctoral Project / Dissertation Template using Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Google Chrome browsers. There are some reported issues for students trying to download using Internet Explorer. The download links are shown below:

• The combined  Master’s Thesis / Doctoral Project / Doctoral Dissertation Template  for MS-Word for Windows is available at: Thesis/Project/Dissertation Template-PC
• The  Master’s   Thesis Template  for Word for Mac is available at:  Thesis Template-MAC
• The  Doctoral Template  for Word for Mac is available at  Dissertation Template-MAC
• If you use the LaTeX markup language, you can download a ZIP file folder containing several template and style documents, as well as an extensive tutorial manual, at this link:  Thesis/Dissertation Template-LaTeX . An updated .sty file was uploaded in June 2020.

LaTeX users please note: These LaTeX template materials are provided for the use of those who are already proficient in the use of LaTeX. Neither the Graduate School nor the faculty who helped develop this template are able to provide support or training in the use of this specialty software.

Dissertation Defense

Things to consider before you defend.

Have you completed your coursework and do you have at least a 3.0 GPA? Additional requirements met (RP's), if applicable? You may consider requesting N grades be changed to letter grades. This can be done with the Student Services Manager.

Find a Chair for your Oral Defense Committee. The Chair is a non-reader. This must be a faculty member outside of the Chemistry Department and outside your advisor's department if you work for a non-chemistry professor.  It can be a Professor Emeritus outside of chemistry or a Courtesy Professor as long as they don't have a joint appointment (e.g., like Chaitan Khosla). If you need help with this, ask your advisor for assistance. The Chair is doing you a favor, be sure to extend courtesy to him/her (e.g., a thank you note). You also need a second non-reader -- the fifth member of your oral exam committee. This could be a faculty member inside or outside of the chemistry department. Please have this person be outside your immediate field (e.g., an organic chemist should get physical or inorganic chemist).

You will need to set-up a time for your defense and reserve a room with the chemistry receptionist 3-2501, e.g., the Gazebo or Sapp Center. You must be registered the quarter you defend.

Complete the Oral Examination form. This form must be signed by the Chair of the Graduate Study Committee, Professor Cegelski. Roger will obtain her signature for you. Along with the orals form, submit a one or two-page abstract at least a week prior to your defense date . Let the External Relations group ( chemistry-events [at] stanford.edu (chemistry-events[at]stanford[dot]edu) ) know about your defense early so they can publicize it in  This Week in Chemistry . Roger will distribute copies of your oral form and abstract to members of your oral committee. The original will be sent to the chair of your orals committee in a special folder. However, it is your responsibility to let your committee know when and where your defense will be held.

Apply to graduate. Go into Axess and indicate the quarter you want your degree conferred (i.e., the quarter you submit your dissertation). Keep in mind, you must have valid candidacy through your conferral date. See Axess or Directions for Preparing Doctoral Dissertations for specific deadline dates.

If you use the Graduation Quarter to submit your thesis/dissertation, then you must complete the Petition for Graduation Quarter form by the first day of the term designated to be your Graduation Quarter. You may defend and submit your dissertation during a Graduation Quarter or you may defend and use the Graduation Quarter in a future quarter. You get only one Graduation Quarter with a lower tuition rate, $150. Among the pre-requisites for submitting the Graduation Quarter form, are enrolling in chem 802 and applying to graduate in Axess. Students on Graduation Quarter are registered at Stanford and, therefore, have the rights and privileges of registered students. Students will be assessed University health insurance (unless waived), campus health services fee, and ASSU fees (except during summer).

Please give a draft of your dissertation to your reading committee at least two weeks prior to your defense. Be mindful of faculty travel schedules, especially when looking for your readers to sign off on your dissertation! Make sure your reading committee is accurately reflected in Axess. If a member has been replaced, you must submit a Change of Reader form to Roger. 

The Academic Calendar  has many useful deadlines including the quarterly deadline to apply to graduate and the dissertation submission deadline.

If you have CardinalCare, it is for the entire academic year regardless of the quarters you are enrolled. If you leave before the end of the academic year, you will be charged for CardinalCare unless you waive it. Contact Vaden Health Center if you have other arrangements for health insurance (e.g., from your new employer).

Keep your address up-to-date in Axess because diplomas may be mailed to the last address given. Also, indicate in Axess whether or not you will participate in the department commencement exercises. You will receive a degree in chemistry; no subspecialty will appear on your diploma. If you want to assure that your name is in the University commencement program, then the Axess deadline is usually the third week of February.

Let Roger know your forwarding address, include job information. Please send this information via e-mail to  roger.kuhn [at] stanford.edu (roger[dot]kuhn[at]stanford[dot]edu)  and complete the Alumni Update Form .

Letter of completion: Students will receive email confirmation once the dissertation submission is approved by the Registrar's Office.  This email confirmation will provide instructions for obtaining the letter by essentially logging on to Axess, and going to the eDissertation/eThesis Center, where it should be ready and available as a link to the student.

Submit your dissertation electronically to the Registrar's Office . (See steps below.) There are two critical issues you need to be aware of:

• The electronic version is put on the internet soon after submission. This can be a huge problem for time-sensitive material and future publications. To protect your science and to permit future work to be published in a journal, you and your advisor must agree on an appropriate embargo period, up to two years. As part of the submission process, you declare via Axess your embargo period.
• Your advisor will not get a hard copy of your dissertation. Ask if she/he would like a copy. If yes, then you need to get one bound at a private printer.

Submitting Your Dissertation

See the Registrar’s Office website for all dissertation information.

The following steps are required, in order, to complete the dissertation submission process:

Go to the e-dissertation/thesis center in  Axess  (see the Registrar’s website for instructions).

Select your final reader.  They will need to log in to Axess and approve your dissertation before the deadline once you’ve uploaded your dissertation.

In lieu of actual paper signatures approving your dissertation from your reading committee, the process changed because of the pandemic. Now your readers must send you an e-mail from their @stanford.edu email address stating that they approve your dissertation. Those e-mails can be saved as PDFs and uploaded as part of the submission process.  **Only your reading committee should be included on your signature page. Do NOT include your defense chair or any committee members only present for the defense.

Upload/Submit dissertation.

Useful Websites

• Registrar's Office Directions for Preparing Doctoral Dissertations
• UMI: Publishing Your Dissertation
• Registrar's Office Website

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“ Stratigraphic and Structural Controls on a Carbon Sequestration Reservoir in Shelby County, Alabama ”

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August 7, 2024

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Elliptical orbits could be essential to the habitability of rocky planets

by Matt Williams, Universe Today

A seismic shift occurred in astronomy during the Scientific Revolution, beginning with 16th-century polymath Copernicus and his proposal that the Earth revolved around the sun. By the 17th century, famed engineer and astronomer Galileo Galilei refined Copernicus' heliocentric model using observations made with telescopes he built himself. However, it was not until Kepler's observations that the planets followed elliptical orbits around the sun (rather than circular orbits) that astronomical models matched observations of the heavens completely.

As it turns out, this very quirk of orbital mechanics may be essential to the emergence of life on planets like Earth. That was the hypothesis put forth in a recent study by a team of astronomers led by the University of Leeds.

According to their work, orbital eccentricity (how much a planet's orbit deviates from a circle) can influence a planet's climate response, which could have a profound effect on its potential habitability. These findings could be significant for exoplanet researchers as they continue to search for Earth-like planets that could support life.

The team was led by Binghan Liu, a Ph.D. Student in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leeds, who conducted the research as part of his thesis. He was joined by Daniel R. Marsh, the Priestley Chair in Comparative Planetary Atmospheres (and Liu's thesis advisor), and other colleagues from Leeds and the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge.

Their paper , "Eccentric orbits may enhance the habitability of Earth-like exoplanets," was recently published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society .

The idea of circular orbits has deep roots in Western astronomy, going all the way back to Classical Antiquity. Some examples include Plato and Aristotle, who argued that the then-known celestial bodies (the moon, Mercury, Venus, the sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) were perfect spheres that orbited Earth in concentric circles.

This belief endured well into the Scientific Revolution, with both Copernicus and Galileo arguing that the then-known planets (Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) orbited the sun in concentric circles.

It was not until Johannes Kepler introduced the concept of elliptical orbits that scientists could match their astronomical models to the observed motions of the planets. Since then, scientists have learned a great deal about orbital parameters—such as semi-major axis (a), eccentricity (e), axial tilt, inclination (i), and periapsis—and how they can influence a planet's climate over time. These parameters have also become very important for exoplanet studies, as they are vital to determining if a planet could be "potentially habitable."

For their study, Liu and his colleagues used the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM6), a high-top interactive Earth-system model capable of simulating conditions on Earth (from the oceans to the upper atmosphere) to simulate Earth-like exoplanets with two different orbital parameters.

For one set, they assigned circular orbits (e = 0), while the others were assigned highly eccentric orbits (e = 0.4)—far greater than Earth's eccentricity (0.016). They were also assigned zero obliquity and a fixed level of annual solar irradiance (aka annual mean insolation).

After running 30 simulation years for each case, they examined how both groups of exoplanets behaved regarding their climate response. This included latitudinal and seasonal variations in their hydrological cycle (sea ice, land snow, and clouds) and land habitability metrics like surface temperature and precipitation.

As they indicated in their paper, exoplanets within the highly eccentric orbit group had 25% more habitable land area for more than 80% of their orbit, with an average increase of 7% for their entire orbital cycle.

Naturally, there were some caveats and addendums that they were sure to include:

"It is important to note that the habitability of land depends on the chosen metric and the duration of time during which the conditions are met for a specific metric. We conclude that, under the same annual mean stellar flux, an Earth-analog planet with zero-obliquity in a highly eccentric orbit around a sun-like star may have enhanced land habitability compared to its circular counterpart."

In other words, the simulations are based on planets with far more eccentric orbits than Earth and are not subject to the same changes in obliquity, which also profoundly impact Earth's climate (i.e., glacial and inter-glacial periods).

Nevertheless, their study demonstrates that planets with eccentric orbits are more likely to be habitable than those with circular orbits that experience little in the way of seasonal variations throughout the year. These results could have significant implications for exoplanet studies and the search for habitable worlds beyond the solar system.

In addition, they note how astronomers will benefit from next-generation observatories that will be capable of spotting Earth-like exoplanets with eccentric orbits in the near future.

"The detection of highly eccentric terrestrial exoplanets is low due to the limitation of the current observation techniques, which are biased towards close-in and thus, tidally locked exoplanets in circular orbits. However, with the upcoming ground and space telescope missions such as PLATO, ELT, and HWO, more highly eccentric Earth-like rocky exoplanets may be revealed and characterized.

"nderstanding the potential climate outcomes and habitability of highly eccentric rocky exoplanets remains a challenging task."

Journal information: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

Provided by Universe Today

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