Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry - Materials Chemistry

The materials chemistry program at UCR focuses on the design, synthesis and characterization of new functional materials, understanding the fundamental chemical principles governing their fabrication, investigating their properties, and exploring their unique applications. Students in the materials chemistry program will be provided with opportunities to develop interdisciplinary research expertise via collaborations in engineering, physics and biological sciences. At UCR, the research in materials chemistry covers a wide range of materials including molecular materials (Bardeen, Bocian), polymers (Cheng), solid state materials (Feng, Haddon, Ozkan, Yin), colloidal materials (Tang, Yin), and composite/hybrid materials (Haddon, Tang, Yin). These materials are processed at different length scales spanning from the molecular level to nanometer and micrometer sizes, often in the form of nano- or microcrystals, thin films, and porous structures. Significant efforts have been focused on the exploration of niche applications for these materials in a variety of areas, including sensors and actuators (Bardeen, Bartels, Cheng), electronic and photonic devices (Bartels, Bocian, Haddon, Tang, Yin), as well as catalysis and energy applications (Bardeen, Feng, Ozkan, Yin, Zaera). A number of groups are also actively developing cutting edge characterization tools to study various aspects of the formation processes and properties of the new materials (Bartels, Zaera, Y. Zhang). With unique computational expertise, the Beran group aims to predict the chemical behaviors of gases and solid state materials through calculations. Many faculty members working in materials chemistry have joint positions in the Materials Science and Engineering Program at the Bourns College of Engineering. The Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, furnished with a state-of-the-art nanofabrication research facility, is headquartered in the Chemistry Department. Please follow the links to find out more information about Materials Chemistry research at UCR.

A bachelor's degree, or its equivalent, from an accredited institution. The degree must represent the completion of a program equivalent in subject matter and scholarship to that offered by the University of California.

A minimum of a 3.0 undergraduate GPA or B-equivalent (if GPA is not on a 4.0 scale). We recommend that you check with the graduate program as they may have a higher standard for their GPA requirements. If your GPA is below this, follow up with the graduate program you are interested. Applications are reviewed in their entirety and the program can look at your other components and advise you on potential admission.

All applications are initially reviewed by the graduate program before a recommendation is submitted to the Graduate Division for final approval.

We require transcripts with final grades or most recent grades (if degree is in progress) from all college-level institutions you have attended. We also require proof of any degree awarded to you. Confirmation of your degree can be a degree posting on a transcript or a copy of your degree certificate. If you have attended an institution located outside of the US.

IELTS - minimum acceptable overall score is 7 with no score less than 6 on any individual component. TOEFL - minimum acceptable scores are: 550 for the revised TOEFL paper-delivered test and 80 for the TOEFL iBT.