WPI’s coursework-based MS degree in Chemistry is a part-time program designed for targeted, in-depth investigations in advanced topics in modern chemistry. Our flexible plan of study and individualized advising helps you tailor the program to your interests and career goals.
For a more robust program with additional research opportunities, consider WPI’s PhD degree program in Chemistry.
In collaboration with a program advisor, you will select courses from Chemistry and additional disciplines that give you what you need to succeed—from organic chemistry, to the life sciences, to materials research. Advanced chemistry topics to explore include medicinal chemistry, theory and applications of NMR spectroscopy, molecular modeling, and chemical spectroscopy. You can also supplement your studies with high-level undergraduate courses.
You can choose a thesis option, consisting of high-level original research, or a non-thesis option with additional coursework. Hands-on research and lab work will also be an integral component of many of your courses.
WPI’s faculty researchers in Chemistry are known for fueling advances with the potential to change the way we live in areas such as health, nanotechnology, biomedical sensors, and clean energy.
You will have many opportunities to learn from and work alongside faculty and students conducting research in such areas as these:
You’ll have access to world-class facilities to conduct your course or thesis-based research, including our state-of-the art Life Sciences Center at Gateway Park, where an open lab format encourages collaboration across disciplines.
Chemistry research in the Burdette group occurs at the interface of synthesis, metal ion homeostasis & signaling, cell biology and photochemistry. The group is developing molecular tools that will facilitate efforts to map cellular metal ion signaling pathways, and understand the pathologies of neurodegenerative diseases. Of particular interest is the development of photocaged complexes that are capable of releasing zinc in a light-dependent manner in biological systems. These tools are designed and synthesized to optimize the temporal and spatial control of zinc release.
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Our research focus is to combine biochemical and biophysical techniques to investigate the structure and function of two classes of membrane proteins. In the first instance, we are investigating the mechanism of a zinc transporter, hZIP4. This protein has been implicated in the initiation and progression of pancreatic cancer. Despite the central role of this protein in cellular homeostasis, the mechanism of cation transport is not well understood. Secondly, we have been investigating the molecular determinants that help to define the functionality of opsin proteins.
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What makes a particular material efficient at converting sunlight to electrical or chemical energy? Conversely, what makes a material a poor energy converter? The Grimmgroup is motivated by quantifying and controlling the bulk and surface properties of solar energy conversion materials. As a research group in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, we seek an atom- and bond-level understanding of material properties.
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I am a computational physical chemist. My research is in the areas of force field building and applications. Special attention is given to creating polarizable force fields for organic and biophysical systems, including proteins and protein-ligand complexes. I teach classes in physical, computational and general chemistry. Simulations of proteins is very important in biomedical research because proteins play crucial role in a large number of biological phenomena, both benign and harmful.
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Research in the Mattson Group is a combination of catalyst design, methodology development, and complex molecule synthesis. Our catalyst design program is focused on the synthesis and study of new families of non-covalent catalysts, including boronate ureas and silanediols, that are able to promote new reactivity patterns. The catalyst design and associated reaction development programs are currently geared toward the synthesis of enantioenriched nitrogen and oxygen heterocycles that frequently appear in naturally occurring bioactive compounds.
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Membranes are composed of hundreds of distinct kinds of phospholipids, and the types of lipids that are found within a membrane bilayer impact its biophysical properties including its fluidity, permeability and susceptibility to damage. Our primary interest is in understanding the mechanisms that control the phospholipid composition and that preserve the membrane over time. We use stable isotope tracing strategies and mass spectrometry to quantify phospholipid abundance and dynamics in the model organism, C. elegans.
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We are interested in learning how small molecules in the blood stream can cause cells to react in specific ways, such as growing, dividing or migrating. While there are many agents that can stimulate or inhibit cell behavior, we are most interested in the ability of certain hormones and neurotransmitters to activate a family of proteins called "G Proteins". G proteins can simulate an enzyme called phospholipase Cbeta (PLCbeta). Activation of PLCbeta raises the level of calcium in the cell, which changes the activity of many other proteins.
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